Which statement is true regarding dependency benefits?

• A. They are not paid on partial incapacity claims
• B. They are paid on partial incapacity claims
• C. They are always paid with total incapacity
• D. They are never paid

Answer: (A)

Dependency benefits are survivor payments paid to the worker’s dependents when a work-related death occurs. They are separate from the benefits that a living worker receives for partial or total incapacity. Because these benefits depend on death, they are not paid on partial incapacity claims, where the employee is alive and receiving wage replacement for their own impairment. In Rhode Island, as in most jurisdictions, death benefits to dependents are triggered by death, not by someone being partially incapacitated. So the statement that dependency benefits are not paid on partial incapacity claims is the correct one.