102.51(2)(a)(a) No person shall be considered a dependent unless a member of the family or a spouse, or a divorced spouse who has not remarried, or lineal descendant or ancestor, or brother or sister of the deceased employe.
102.51(2)(b)
(b) Where for eight years or more prior to the date of injury a deceased employe has been a resident of the United States, it shall be conclusively presumed that no person who has remained a nonresident alien during that period is either totally or partially dependent upon the deceased employe for support.
102.51(2)(c)
(c) No person who is a nonresident alien shall be found to be either totally or partially dependent on a deceased employe for support who cannot establish dependency by proving contributions from the deceased employe by written evidence or tokens of the transfer of money, such as drafts, letters of credit, microfilm or other copies of paid share drafts, canceled checks, or receipts for the payment to any bank, express company, United States post office, or other agency commercially engaged in the transfer of funds from one country to another, for transmission of funds on behalf of said deceased employe to such nonresident alien claiming dependency. This provision shall not be applicable unless the employe has been continuously in the United States for at least one year prior to his or her injury, and has been remuneratively employed therein for at least 6 months.
102.51(3)
(3) Division among dependents. If there is more than one person wholly or partially dependent, the death benefit shall be divided between such dependents in such proportion as the department shall determine to be just, considering their ages and other facts bearing on such dependency.
102.51(4)
(4) Dependency as of the date of death. Questions as to who is a dependent and the extent of his or her dependency shall be determined as of the date of the death of the employe, and the dependent's right to any death benefit becomes fixed at that time, regardless of any subsequent change in conditions. The death benefit shall be directly recoverable by and payable to the dependents entitled thereto or their legal guardians or trustees. In case of the death of a dependent whose right to a death benefit has thus become fixed, so much of the benefit as is then unpaid is payable to the dependent's personal representatives in gross, unless the department determines that the unpaid benefit shall be reassigned, under
sub. (6), and paid to any other dependent who is physically or mentally incapacitated or a minor. A posthumous child is for the purpose of this subsection a dependent as of the date of death.
102.51(5)
(5) When not interested. No dependent of an injured employe shall be deemed a party in interest to any proceeding by the employe for the enforcement of the employe's claim for compensation, nor with respect to the compromise thereof by such employe. A compromise of all liability entered into by an employe is binding upon the employe's dependents, except that any dependent of a deceased employe may submit the compromise for review under
s. 102.16 (1).
102.51(6)
(6) Division among dependents. Benefits accruing to a minor dependent child may be awarded to either parent in the discretion of the department. Notwithstanding
sub. (1), the department may reassign the death benefit, in accordance with their respective needs therefor as between a surviving spouse and children designated in
sub. (1) and
s. 102.49.
102.51(7)
(7) Certain defense barred. In proceedings for the collection of primary death benefit or burial expense it shall not be a defense that the applicant, either individually or as a partner or member, was an employer of the deceased.
102.51 Annotation
Posthumously born illegitimate child does not qualify as a dependent under (4). Claimants not falling within one of classifications under (2) (a) will not qualify for benefits, regardless of dependency in fact. Larson v. DILHR, 76 W (2d) 595, 252 NW (2d) 33.
102.52
102.52
Permanent partial disability schedule. In cases included in the following schedule of permanent partial disabilities indemnity shall be paid for the healing period, and in addition, for the period specified, at the rate of two-thirds of the average weekly earnings of the employe, to be computed as provided in
s. 102.11:
102.52(1)
(1) The loss of an arm at the shoulder, 500 weeks;
102.52(2)
(2) The loss of an arm at the elbow, 450 weeks;
102.52(4)
(4) The loss of a palm where the thumb remains, 325 weeks;
102.52(5)
(5) The loss of a thumb and the metacarpal bone thereof, 160 weeks;
102.52(6)
(6) The loss of a thumb at the proximal joint, 120 weeks;
102.52(7)
(7) The loss of a thumb at the distal joint, 50 weeks;
102.52(8)
(8) The loss of all fingers on one hand at their proximal joints, 225 weeks;
102.52(9)
(9) Losses of fingers on each hand as follows:
102.52(9)(a)
(a) An index finger and the metacarpal bone thereof, 60 weeks;
102.52(9)(b)
(b) An index finger at the proximal joint, 50 weeks;
102.52(9)(c)
(c) An index finger at the second joint, 30 weeks;
102.52(9)(d)
(d) An index finger at the distal joint, 12 weeks;
102.52(9)(e)
(e) A middle finger and the metacarpal bone thereof, 45 weeks;
102.52(9)(f)
(f) A middle finger at the proximal joint, 35 weeks;
102.52(9)(g)
(g) A middle finger at the second joint, 20 weeks;
102.52(9)(h)
(h) A middle finger at the distal joint, 8 weeks;
102.52(9)(i)
(i) A ring finger and the metacarpal bone thereof, 26 weeks;
102.52(9)(j)
(j) A ring finger at the proximal joint, 20 weeks;
102.52(9)(k)
(k) A ring finger at the second joint, 15 weeks;
102.52(9)(L)
(L) A ring finger at the distal joint, 6 weeks;
102.52(9)(m)
(m) A little finger and the metacarpal bone thereof, 28 weeks;
102.52(9)(n)
(n) A little finger at the proximal joint, 22 weeks;
102.52(9)(o)
(o) A little finger at the second joint, 16 weeks;
102.52(9)(p)
(p) A little finger at the distal joint, 6 weeks;
102.52(10)
(10) The loss of a leg at the hip joint, 500 weeks;
102.52(11)
(11) The loss of a leg at the knee, 425 weeks;
102.52(12)
(12) The loss of a foot at the ankle, 250 weeks;
102.52(13)
(13) The loss of the great toe with the metatarsal bone thereof, 83 1/3 weeks;
102.52(14)
(14) Losses of toes on each foot as follows:
102.52(14)(c)
(c) The second toe with the metatarsal bone thereof, 25 weeks;
102.52(14)(g)
(g) The third, fourth or little toe with the metatarsal bone thereof, 20 weeks;
102.52(14)(h)
(h) The third, fourth or little toe at the proximal joint, 6 weeks;
102.52(14)(i)
(i) The third, fourth or little toe at the second or distal joint, 4 weeks;
102.52(15)
(15) The loss of an eye by enucleation or evisceration, 275 weeks;
102.52(16)
(16) Total impairment of one eye for industrial use, 250 weeks;
102.52(17)
(17) Total deafness from accident or sudden trauma, 330 weeks;
102.52(18)
(18) Total deafness of one ear from accident or sudden trauma, 55 weeks.
102.52 Annotation
In a workmen's compensation proceeding brought by an employe who suffered total deafness in one ear, a skull fracture, loss of taste and smell, facial paralysis and periods of intermittent headaches and dizziness, the ILHR department did not err in determining that the hearing loss was a scheduled disability under (18), with a separate award for the additional physical effects of the deafness, rather than considering the entire range of disabilities as a whole, since where a loss is recognized by and compensable under this section, the schedule therein is exclusive. Vande Zande v. ILHR Dept. 70 W (2d) 1086, 236 NW (2d) 255.
102.52 Annotation
The "loss of an arm at the shoulder" under sub. (1) encompasses injuries to the arm and does not include an injury to the shoulder. Hagen v. LIRC, 201 W (2d) 51, 547 NW (2d) 812 (Ct. App. 1996).
102.53
102.53
Multiple injury variations. In case an injury causes more than one permanent disability specified in
ss. 102.44 (3),
102.52 and
102.55, the period for which indemnity shall be payable for each additional equal or lesser disability shall be increased as follows:
102.53(1)
(1) In the case of impairment of both eyes, by 200%.
102.53(2)
(2) In the case of disabilities on the same hand covered by
s. 102.52 (9), by 100% for the first equal or lesser disability and by 150% for the 2nd and 3rd equal or lesser disabilities.
102.53(5)
(5) The aggregate result as computed by applying
sub. (1), and the aggregate result for members on the same hand or foot as computed by applying
subs. (2) and
(3), shall each be taken as a unit for applying
sub. (4) as between such units, and as between such units and each other disability.
102.53 History
History: 1973 c. 150;
1979 c. 278.
102.54
102.54
Injury to dominant hand. If an injury to an employe's dominant hand causes a disability specified in
s. 102.52 (1) to
(9) or amputation of more than two-thirds of the distal joint of a finger, the period for which indemnity is payable for that disability or amputation is increased by 25%. This increase is in addition to any other increase payable under
s. 102.53 but, for cases in which an injury causes more than one permanent disability, the increase under this section shall be based on the periods specified in
s. 102.52 (1) to
(9) for each disability and not on any increased period specified in
s. 102.53.
102.54 History
History: 1993 a. 81.
102.55
102.55
Application of schedules. 102.55(1)
(1) Whenever amputation of a member is made between any 2 joints mentioned in the schedule in
s. 102.52 the determined loss and resultant indemnity therefor shall bear such relation to the loss and indemnity applicable in case of amputation at the joint next nearer the body as such injury bears to one of amputation at the joint nearer the body.
102.55(2)
(2) For the purposes of this schedule permanent and complete paralysis of any member shall be deemed equivalent to the loss thereof.
102.55(3)
(3) For all other injuries to the members of the body or its faculties which are specified in this schedule resulting in permanent disability, though the member be not actually severed or the faculty totally lost, compensation shall bear such relation to that named in this schedule as disabilities bear to the disabilities named in this schedule. Indemnity in such cases shall be determined by allowing weekly indemnity during the healing period resulting from the injury and the percentage of permanent disability resulting thereafter as found by the department.
102.555
102.555
Occupational deafness; definitions. 102.555(1)(1) "Occupational deafness" means permanent partial or permanent total loss of hearing of one or both ears due to prolonged exposure to noise in employment. "Noise" means sound capable of producing occupational deafness. "Noisy employment" means employment in the performance of which an employe is subjected to noise.
102.555(2)
(2) No benefits shall be payable for temporary total or temporary partial disability under this chapter for loss of hearing due to prolonged exposure to noise.
102.555(3)
(3) An employe who because of occupational deafness is transferred by his or her employer to other noisy employment and thereby sustains actual wage loss shall be compensated at the rate provided in
s. 102.43 (2), not exceeding $7,000 in the aggregate from all employers. "Time of injury", "occurrence of injury", and "date of injury" in such case mean the date of wage loss.
102.555(4)
(4) Subject to the limitations provided in this section, there shall be payable for total occupational deafness of one ear, 36 weeks of compensation; for total occupational deafness of both ears, 216 weeks of compensation; and for partial occupational deafness, compensation shall bear such relation to that named in this section as disabilities bear to the maximum disabilities provided in this section. In cases covered by this subsection, "time of injury", "occurrence of injury", or "date of injury" shall, at the option of the employe, be the date of occurrence of any of the following events to an employe:
102.555(4)(a)
(a) Transfer to nonnoisy employment by an employer whose employment has caused occupational deafness;
102.555(4)(b)
(b) The last day actually worked before retiring, regardless of vacation pay or time, sick leave or any other benefit to which the employe is entitled;
102.555(4)(c)
(c) Termination of the employer-employe relationship; or
102.555(4)(d)
(d) Layoff, provided the layoff is complete and continuous for 6 months.
102.555(5)
(5) No claim under
sub. (4) may be filed until 7 consecutive days of removal from noisy employment after the time of injury except that under
sub. (4) (d) the 7 consecutive days' period may commence within the last 2 months of layoff.
102.555(6)
(6) The limitation provisions in this chapter shall control claims arising under this section. Such provisions shall run from the first date upon which claim may be filed, or from the date of subsequent death, provided that no claim shall accrue to any dependent unless an award has been issued or hearing tests have been conducted by a competent medical specialist after the employe has been removed from the noisy environment for a period of 2 months.
102.555(7)
(7) No payment shall be made to an employe under this section unless the employe shall have worked in noisy employment for a total period of at least 90 days for the employer from whom the employe claims compensation.
102.555(8)
(8) An employer is liable for the entire occupational deafness to which his or her employment has contributed; but if previous deafness is established by a hearing test or other competent evidence, whether or not the employe was exposed to noise within the 2 months preceding such test, the employer is not liable for previous loss so established nor is the employer liable for any loss for which compensation has previously been paid or awarded.
102.555(9)
(9) Any amount paid to an employe under this section by any employer shall be credited against compensation payable by any employer to such employe for occupational deafness under
subs. (3) and
(4). No employe shall in the aggregate receive greater compensation from any or all employers for occupational deafness than that provided in this section for total occupational deafness.
102.555(10)
(10) No compensation may be paid for tinnitus unless a hearing test demonstrates a compensable hearing loss other than tinnitus. For injuries occurring on or after January 1, 1992, no compensation may be paid for tinnitus.
102.555(11)
(11) Compensation under
s. 102.66 for permanent partial disability due to occupational deafness may be paid only if the loss of hearing exceeds 20% of binaural hearing loss.
102.555 Annotation
Committee Note, 1971: Where an employer discontinues a noisy operation and transfers the employes to nonnoisy employment, they have been unable to make claim for occupational deafness until the conditions of sub. (b), (c) or (d) were met. The employe will now have the option of filing a claim at the time of transfer at the current rate of compensation with a 2-1/2% reduction for each year of age over 50 or waiting until he meets the conditions of sub. (b), (c) or (d) when he may file claim at the then-current rate of compensation with a 1/2% reduction for each year of age over 50. [Bill 371-A]
102.555 Annotation
Prerequisite for benefits award under (10) is that employe must have suffered some compensable hearing loss other than tinnitus; (10) does not require compensable hearing loss in both ears or in a particular ear. General Castings Corp. v. LIRC, 152 W (2d) 631, 449 NW (2d) 619 (Ct. App. 1989).
