May and John Doe adopt their 8 year old grandson Joseph. John dies in a work-related accident. Mary is a dependent spouse. How many dependents are there?

• A. 1 total and no partial dependents.
• B. 2 partial dependents.
• C. 2 total dependents.
• D. 1 total and 1 partial.

Answer: (C)

Dependents are people who rely on the worker for support, including a spouse and children (adopted children count the same as biological children). When John Doe dies, his dependents include his wife Mary, who is a dependent spouse, and his grandson Joseph, who is adopted by May and John and thus counts as a dependent child. Both are full dependents, so there are two dependents in total. There are no partial dependents in this scenario.