An injured employee with dependents who is incarcerated for an unrelated offense receives temporary disability that is paid to whom?

• A. Paid
• B. Paid to employee
• C. Paid to employee's dependents
• D. Paid to the state treasury

Answer: (C)

When an injured employee who has dependents is incarcerated for an unrelated offense and receiving temporary disability benefits, the payments are typically designated to the employee's dependents. This reflects the principle that the dependents are entitled to support during the employee's incapacity to work. Although the employee is not able to receive the payments while serving time, the responsibility to provide for their dependents continues.

In many jurisdictions, temporary disability benefits are structured to ensure that dependents are financially supported in cases where the employee is unable to manage their finances due to incarceration. This system exists to mitigate the potential hardship that dependents might face due to the employee's inability to work because of injury, regardless of their incarceration status.

Therefore, the correct allocation of funds in this situation ensures that the dependents still have access to the financial support that would typically flow from the employee's benefits, hence the benefits are paid to the employee’s dependents.