Banegas Ex Rel. Banegas v. State Industrial Insurance System

*223OPINION

By the Court,

Becker, J.:

Appellant Annabelle Banegas was an unmarried cohabitant of decedent Robert Banegas at the time of his death in 1994. During the period of their cohabitation, Annabelle relied on Robert for substantially all of her financial support, including all living expenses other than the cost of housing. After Robert’s work-related death, Annabelle applied for death benefits from the State Industrial Insurance System (SUS) as a dependent of Robert. SIIS denied Annabelle’s claim on the basis that she was not a “legal dependent” of Robert at the time of his death. SIIS’s…