Did you know that the laws that protect workers who have been injured on land are different but similar to the ones that protect those who work on the sea? In fact, the Longshore Compensation Act handles 27,000 cases annually of maritime workers and various other special classes of private industry employees who have been disabled or killed by employment injuries or occupational diseases while on the job. Here are a few facts about the ways that workers compensation and expatriate compensation differs for those who work on the sea rather than land and what you need to do if you have to hire a Defense Base Act attorney.
1. The Merchant Seaman Protection and Relief Act of 1920 is a law designed to create a similar protection which is provided by workers compensation. Longshore and harbor workers compensation acts are meant to provide support for people injured while working as a longshoreman, seaman, or other marine related positions.
2. Maritime claims for Longshore workers compensation generally refer to claims by persons working offshore on oil platforms, boats, cargo ships and other sea faring vessels or along docks, sea terminals or river ways. The nature of the jobs require that injury claims be handled under a different set of laws.
3. Section 27, better known as the Jones Act, which is also known as Jones Act workers compensation, deals with coastal shipping and requires that all goods transported by water between United States ports must be transported in U.S. flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. How much money you get through the Act depends on how much you make. The current maximum wage replacement rate is 1,295.20 dollars per week and The current minimum wage replacement rate is 323.80 dollars per week.
4. There are upwards of 155,000 contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, with thousands more supporting United State operations around the globe. Many of these contractors maintain expatriate status and are given expatriate compensation.
5. Injuries resulting in death are another special case under the Defense Base Act and require the cases to be handled by Defense Base Act attorneys. Death benefits include reasonable funeral expenses up to 3,000 dollars. Survivors also receive benefits based on the average weekly wages of the worker who has lost their life. Though this might seem a little bit confusing, one of the best aspects of the Defense Base Act that makes it claimant friendly is how it treats attorneys’ fees. This makes it quite a lot easier to hire a Defense Base Act Attorney.