Colorado bill would amend lifetime death benefits for spouses
Reprints
Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday introduced legislation that would amend death benefits paid to surviving spouses in workers compensation claims.
House Bill 1139 says that dependents of deceased employees who had worked jobs classified as high-risk would be eligible to receive lifetime death benefits even after remarrying.
Current language in the law only allows for lifetime benefits if the spouse remains unmarried; the benefits are terminated if the widow or widower gets remarried.
Jobs with a high-risk classification include employees of the Colorado State Patrol, the state’s Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Corrections, firefighters, wildlife officers, Department of Transportation and parks and recreation officers.
