Remarriage Penalty Eliminated, Lifetime Death Benefits for First Responders' Spouses

The “remarriage penalty” no longer applies to surviving spouses of first responders killed on the job under new rules adopted by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation. Under the new rules, spouses will continue to receive lifetime death benefits even after remarrying. Under the old rules, spouses received 104 weeks’ worth of death benefits in a lump-sum payment upon remarrying. The new rules also increase the maximum reimbursement for burial benefits from $6,000 to $10,000 for a compensable injury that occurs on or after Sept. 1, 2...