How to run Wrongful Death Damages in DocketMath for United States Federal

Step-by-step

This guide explains how to run Wrongful Death Damages in DocketMath for United States Federal (US-FED) using jurisdiction-aware rules. DocketMath is a calculator: it helps you structure assumptions and compute damage components, but it doesn’t replace legal strategy or evidentiary decisions.

Before you start, confirm you’re using the correct calculator: wrongful-death-damages. Then follow these steps.

1. Open the calculator

   • Go to: **/tools/wrongful-death-damages
   • This is the primary workflow entry point for the wrongful death model.

2. **Select jurisdiction-aware settings (US-FED)

   • Set Jurisdiction to United States Federal (US-FED).
   • DocketMath uses this selection to apply Federal-oriented default assumptions and rule paths (for example, how it treats typical categories of damages and how it maps inputs into totals).
   • If you see multiple jurisdiction options (e.g., “Federal / State” or a list of states), choose Federal and do not pick a particular state.

3. Enter decedent and household context inputs In most wrongful death damage models, the calculator needs enough detail to compute:

   • Economic loss (commonly: lost earnings during a period)
   • Non-economic loss (often: a valuation component)
   • Household or dependency-related portions (depending on the model configuration)
   • Time horizon and discounting assumptions (if enabled)

   Fill in the decedent profile fields as prompted. Pay close attention to whether the calculator asks for:

   • Annual earnings vs. monthly earnings
   • Age at death and/or retirement age
   • Work-life expectancy or earnings horizon options
   • Expected future earnings growth (if present)
   • Number of dependents or a “dependency share/percentage” input

4. Provide employment and earnings inputs Use consistent units. A common pattern in DocketMath-style calculators is:

   • Enter current annual earnings
   • Optionally enter an earnings growth rate (e.g., 0%, 2%, 3%)
   • The calculator projects forward to compute a lost earnings stream

   If the calculator includes a checkbox for “use growth rate,” set it intentionally:

   • If your scenario assumes fixed earnings, disable growth.
   • If you assume wage growth, enable it and enter the rate as a percentage.

5. Set the time horizon Wrongful death computations frequently depend on a defined period. DocketMath may label this as:

   • A span “from date of death to a terminal year,” or
   • An earnings horizon based on life expectancy or work-life expectancy

   Select the horizon that matches your modeling intent, then enter:

   • The start timing (often immediate)
   • The end timing via provided fields (often age-based)

6. Enter dependency / support assumptions If the calculator distinguishes between:

   • “Total household contribution” vs. “amount attributable per dependent,” or
   • “Dependency percentage” vs. “number of dependents,”

   then your scenario must be aligned with those input types.

   Practical approach:

   • Start with a dependency share/percentage that is supported by your record (for example, 25–35% as a baseline only if consistent with your facts).
   • If you have alternate evidence or a competing assumption, run a second scenario and compare outputs.

7. Fill in non-economic loss inputs Many tools include a non-economic component (sometimes labeled “pain and suffering of survivors,” “loss of society,” or “loss of companionship”). DocketMath may model this via:

   • A fixed value or range
   • A slider or weighting factor
   • Age-based scaling

   Enter the non-economic value inputs exactly as requested. If the tool provides:

   • A base multiplier and adjustment factors,

   ensure you keep track of what each factor represents in your notes so you can explain the impact of each assumption later.

8. **Use the discounting / present value setting (if shown) DocketMath may include:

   • A discount rate
   • A toggle to discount to present value

   If you see a default discount rate under US-FED:

   • Keep it for a baseline run.
   • Then run a sensitivity scenario by changing the discount rate (for example, by ±1–2 percentage points) to observe how sensitive the total is.

9. Run the calculation and review the breakdown Click Calculate (or the equivalent button). DocketMath should return:

   • Total wrongful death damages
   • A component breakdown (economic / non-economic, and any additional categories the model includes)
   • Possibly present value totals and intermediate subtotals

   Review the breakdown before relying on the total. If the model shows intermediate items (e.g., projected earnings subtotal, discounted subtotal), look for:

   • Unit mismatches
   • Unintended zero values
   • Horizon selection errors (wrong end age / wrong earnings horizon type)

10. **Create a second scenario (sensitivity) To make your results more defensible internally, run at least two versions:

• Baseline: your primary assumptions
• Alternative: a reasonable variation (earnings growth, dependency share, discount rate, or time horizon)

Compare how totals shift. If changing one input causes very large swings, prioritize verifying those specific inputs (commonly earnings units, horizon, dependency format, and discounting toggle).

Common pitfalls

These issues commonly distort outputs when running wrongful death damages models in DocketMath. Use this checklist before you trust the result.

• Federal vs. a specific state can change rule mapping and default assumptions.
• Entering annual as monthly (or vice versa) can inflate or deflate totals by large factors.
• A default or pre-filled growth rate can materially change projected earnings.
• Choosing a longer or shorter earnings horizon than your scenario intends can substantially change economic loss.
• Some calculators expect a percentage (e.g., 35%), others expect a fraction (0.35). Entering the wrong format can produce numerically incorrect outputs.
• Many tools apply a base non-economic value, multiplier, or slider weighting. Confirm what the displayed value represents.
• “Present value” on vs. off can dramatically change totals.
• Without sensitivity runs, it’s harder to identify which inputs drive the result.

Quick sanity checks

• If age at death is entered, confirm the tool’s computed “end age” / “horizon end” matches your expectation.
• If earnings growth = 0%, verify that the intermediate earnings projection shows a flat (non-growing) pattern if intermediate breakdowns are shown.
• If dependency is entered as a “share,” confirm the output treats it as a proportion of total earnings/support (not an additional dollar amount).

Try it

If you want to practice a US-FED wrongful death damages run right away, use this quick workflow inside DocketMath. This is a practical testing sequence, not a recommendation for any specific legal theory.

1. Open /tools/wrongful-death-damages and set Jurisdiction = United States Federal (US-FED).
2. Enter:

   • Decedent age (or age at death)
   • Annual earnings using the unit system the calculator expects
   • Select the earnings horizon option presented by DocketMath
3. Choose dependency assumptions:

   • Provide either a dependency percentage/share or the per-dependent inputs—whatever the tool requests.
4. Enter non-economic loss inputs exactly as the tool defines them.
5. Leave discounting at the default and click Calculate.
6. Immediately run a second scenario that changes only one variable. Examples:

   • Toggle earnings growth (off vs. a small positive rate)
   • Adjust the discount rate (±1 percentage point)
   • Change the dependency share (for example, ±10 percentage points)
7. Compare the economic component vs. non-economic component:

   • If economic loss moves sharply, your projection assumptions are doing most of the lifting.
   • If non-economic loss dominates, your valuation factors are driving the result.

To keep your workflow efficient, capture results in a small table as you test:

If outputs swing wildly, revisit in this order: time horizon, dependency share format, and earnings unit selection—then check any discounting toggle.

Related reading

• Wrongful Death Damages Estimator Guide for Alabama
• Wrongful Death Damages Estimator Guide for Arizona
• Wrongful Death Damages Estimator Guide for Colorado