Committee backs increasing workplace death funeral benefit to $10,000

The committee voted to send House Bill 67 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation after representatives and witnesses described the bill as an update to an outdated workers’ compensation death benefit.

Representative Bruce Scogg, District 10, introduced the bill and asked the committee to forward it to the House floor. He said the proposal raises the funeral expense benefit for workers who die on the job from $6,000 to $10,000 and noted the benefit is funded by employers through their insurance premiums rather than by the state.

The change drew support from labor and agency witnesses. John Hughes of the Idaho State AFL-CIO testified that the $6,000 figure was last updated in 1993 and no longer covers typical costs. “The hardest news that any family can receive is the loss of a loved one,” Hughes said, adding that $6,000 in 1993 has the same buying power as about $13,000 today. Hughes urged the committee to approve the increase to help families cover funeral expenses.

Patty Vaughn, benefits administration manager at the Idaho Industrial Commission, told the committee the commission reviewed other states’ levels and consulted the Idaho Funeral Services Association. She said the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute survey shows many states now authorize $10,000 or more in similar benefits and that the commission’s subcommittee found no opposition to the change.

Representative McCann moved to send House Bill 67 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation; the motion carried on a voice vote.

The bill, if enacted, would change the statutory maximum funeral reimbursement in the workers’ compensation program from $6,000 to $10,000; the committee record indicates the increase was requested by the Idaho Industrial Commission and is intended to reflect inflation since 1993. No fiscal or implementation details beyond testimony that the benefit is paid via employer insurance premiums were specified during the hearing.