Father at Son’s Funeral; Pay Is Docked

MARLBORO, Mass. — A man whose son was killed in a car accident says he was docked $150 in unemployment payments for the two days he attended his son’s wake and funeral.

“If you’re sick with the flu, it’s all right,” Richard Tervo Sr. of Marlboro told the Boston Herald. “If you’re disabled or sick, you can be paid.”

Tervo’s son Wayne, 21, of Medway, was killed Feb. 21 while crossing a road to telephone for help because his friend’s car had broken down.

The day after the funeral, the victim’s wife gave birth to twins. “The babies really helped soften the loss,” the elder Tervo said.

An unidentified spokeswoman in the Marlboro Job Insurance office said that state law supports the docking.

“For each day of the week that you’re eligible for benefits, you must be capable of working, available to work and actively seeking work,” she said. “If he was at a funeral, he was neither available nor looking.”