West Virginia Code 23-4-4 – Funeral expenses; wrongfully seeking payment; criminal penalties
(a) In case the personal injury causes death, reasonable funeral or cemetery expense, in an amount to be fixed, from time to time, by the commission, and upon its termination, the Insurance Commissioner, shall be paid from the fund, or the private carrier, payment to be made to the persons who have furnished the services and supplies, or to the persons who have advanced payment for the services and supplies, as the commission may determine proper, in addition to any award made to the employee's dependents.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 23-4-4
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Dependent: as used in this chapter , means a widow, widower, child under eighteen years of age, or under twenty-five years of age when a full-time student as provided in this section, invalid child or posthumous child, who, at the time of the injury causing death, is dependent, in whole or in part, for his or her support upon the earnings of the employee, stepchild under eighteen years of age, or under twenty-five years of age when a full-time student as provided in this section, child under eighteen years of age legally adopted prior to the injury causing death, or under twenty-five years of age when a full-time student as provided in this section, father, mother, grandfather or grandmother, who, at the time of the injury causing death, is dependent, in whole or in part, for his or her support upon the earnings of the employee. See West Virginia Code 23-4-10
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, or figures, whether by printing, engraving, writing, or otherwise. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) A funeral director or cemeterian, or any person who furnished the services and supplies associated with the funeral or cemetery expenses, or a person who has advanced payment for the services and supplies, is prohibited from making any charge or charges against the employee's dependents for funeral expenses which would result in a total charge for funeral expenses in excess of the amount fixed by the commission, and upon its termination, the Insurance Commissioner, unless:
(1) The person seeking funeral expenses notifies, in writing and prior to the rendering of any service, the employee's dependent as to the exact cost of the service and the exact amount the employee's dependent would be responsible for paying in excess of the amount fixed by the commission or Insurance Commissioner; and
(2) The person seeking funeral expenses secures, in writing and prior to the rendering of any service, consent from the employee's dependent that he or she will be responsible to make payment for the amount in excess of the amount fixed by the commission or the Insurance Commissioner.
(c) Any person who knowingly and willfully seeks or receives payment of funeral expenses in excess of the amount fixed by the commission or the Insurance Commissioner without satisfying both of the requirements of subsection (b) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined $3,000 or confined in jail for a definite term of confinement of twelve months, or both.