§ 639. Death, payment to dependents

In cases of the death of a person from any cause other than the accident during the period of payments for disability or for the permanent injury, the remaining payments for disability then due or for the permanent injury shall be made to the person’s dependents according to the provisions of sections 635 and 636 of this title, or if there are none, the remaining amount due, but not more than the actual burial and funeral expenses not to exceed $10,000.00 and the actual expenses for out-of-state transportation of the decedent to the place of burial not to exceed $5,000.00, shall be paid in a lump sum to the proper person. Every two years, the Commissioner of Labor shall evaluate the average burial and funeral expenses in the State and make a recommendation to the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development as to whether an adjustment in compensation is warranted. The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) (expiration of required reports) shall not apply to the report to be made under this section. (Amended 1961, No. 66; 1963, No. 191, § 2; 1977, No. 182 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. May 3, 1978; 1985, No. 194 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 1995, No. 107 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2013, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 51; 2017, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 28, eff. May 21, 2018.)