Alaska2026Passed Legislature
HB44
Changes to Alaska Workers' Compensation Death Benefits
Last scannedSep 10, 2026, 12:32 AM
In one sentence
This bill updates the amounts and rules for money paid to family members when a worker dies from an injury.
What it does
- Sets the maximum payment for funeral expenses at $12,000.
- Defines specific percentages of weekly wages paid to widows, widowers, or children based on their situation.
- Requires that if a widow or widower remarries, they receive two years of benefits as one final lump sum payment.
- Provides 42 percent of the deceased's spendable weekly wage for dependent parents, siblings, or grandchildren up to $150,000 total.
- Adds an extra $8,000 payment for a surviving widow or widower, or divides it among children if there is no spouse.
- Sets a lump sum of $120,000 for parents or the estate when there are no dependent spouses or children.
Who it affects
- Widows and widowers of workers who die from job-related injuries
- Children of deceased workers
- Parents, siblings, grandchildren, or other dependents named in the law
- The estates of deceased workers
Limits and unknowns
- The bill does not explain how to calculate the exact 'spendable weekly wages' for each worker.
- It is unclear if these new amounts apply only to injuries happening after January 1, 2026, or also to older cases.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Death benefit
- Money paid to family members when a worker dies from an injury.
- Spendable weekly wages
- The amount of money the deceased earned each week, used as the base for calculating payments.
- Lump sum
- A single payment made all at once instead of regular checks over time.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
WORKERS COMP DEATH BENEFITS An Act relating to workers' compensation death benefits; and providing for an effective date.
Official activity
Bill history
- (H) REFERRED TO LABOR & COMMERCE42
- (H) L&C, FIN42
- (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS42
- (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/17/2542