Vieira v. Davol, Inc.

This is an appeal by an employee from a decree of the Workers’ Compensation Commission denying her dependency benefits under G.L. 1956 (1968 Reenactment) §28-33-17, as amended by P.L. 1969, ch. 148, §1.

The facts of this case are not in dispute. The employee is the mother of five children, the oldest of whom was born in 1954, the youngest in 1966. On June 18, 1971, she suffered a work-related incapacitating injury and entered into preliminary agreement with her employer providing for the payment of compensation for the duration of her total incapacity. The employee was not represented by…