Defense Base Act Lawyers Blog

Medical can stay open indefinitely on a scheduled injury. What this means is a person who has an injury to an extremity other than a shoulder can keep the medical open even if a significant period of time goes by without that person seeing a doctor. This applies to hearing loss, as a claim for hearing loss is never barred. This is true even if the person has hearing loss thirty years later. You may ask yourself: don't people normally lose their hearing with age? Yes, while that is true, it is also true that if the employee can show an aggravation to his or her hearing loss caused by his job, then he or she can get an award for hearing loss and also have the expense of hearing aids paid, which are quite expensive. This is the attorney's job to file for and receive payment of the hearing aids.

With respect to the Defense Base and Longshore Act, Section 8 requires lifetime medical care for the injured person with no statute of limitations. This includes the right to chiropractic treatment as well as dental care. The doctor shall file his report with the insurance company within ten days of care so that he is not barred from payment. The injured worker has a choice of doctor and the carrier must respond within one week with approval of that doctor. The claimant is entitled to reimbursement of mileage for attending doctor's appointments which (as of the date of this writing) is 51 cents per mile. This will go down as the price of gasoline has decreased recently. Therefore, even though the injured person wants to claim medical but it is ten years after the accident, he is not barred from doing this under the Defense Base and Longshore Act.

Private defense contractors are more important to the United States Military than ever before. The Department of Defense (DOD) has mission requirements throughout the world and uniformed servicemen and women simply can not do everything. We have the finest and most dedicated military personnel on earth, but private defense contractors are still vital to the missions. Contractors provide critical logistical support "on the ground" at defense bases and occupied territories wherever our military personnel are based or deployed.

Despite common perceptions, our defense contractors are not new! This is not a brand new trend. During the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army relied heavily on contractors. The newly formed army was ill equipped, untrained, and incredibly inexperienced, but they had the drive and the spirit to prevail. The contractors of the day provided food, clothing, horses, wagons, weapons, scouting services, and other goods and services necessary to help the Army fight for the freedom of all Americans.

Today we need fewer horses and wagons. Our Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force are incredibly equipped, well trained, experienced, and they still have that drive and dedication that motivated the first Continental Army recruits. Also today's military forces do still need the private defense contractors. In the past twenty years, the missions in the Balkans, Somalia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and in Iraq have demonstrated the continuing and growing importance of private defense contractors. In these missions, the contractors supplied translation services, local intelligence, security, construction work, and they have fulfilled a multitude of other services. They also provide local supplies where needed.

Unfortunately, working with the military in their missions can be hazardous. Even where there is no active armed conflict, training accidents still happen. Trucks can get into crashes. It can be as simple as a translator sitting on a defective chair that collapses in a conference room, etc., etc. Of course, where there is armed conflict or an organized insurgent presence, injuries and death can easily take place. An insurgency of locals can cause incredible trouble to the military and to the defense contractors.

When an active duty serviceman or woman is injured or killed, the U.S. Military provides medical care; evacuation, surgery, physical therapy, medication, etc., or death / survivor benefits if death takes place. The United States Department of Veteran Affairs continues to provide medical benefits even after the serviceman or woman is discharged from active duty service. So, what happens to the private defense contractor?

The United States Defense Base Act provides medical care and treatment; as well as death benefits if the contractor dies. This protection covers you if you are an American, an Iraqi, an Afghan, a German, a Kuwaiti, an Egyptian, etc., etc. It covers anyone of any nationality anywhere in the world that is injured or killed while serving as a contractor aiding the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force at defense bases, occupied territories, and other sites. To secure these valuable medical and financial benefits (lost wages), you or your family members should immediately contact a Defense Base Act lawyer. By contacting and consulting with a Defense Base Act attorney, you can pursue your claim from anywhere in the world. The reach of the statute is great, but the rules and time requirements are complex, so legal counsel is critical to your receipt of the right benefits. An experienced attorney based in Florida can easily handle these cases throughout the world.

Jo Ann Hoffman, Esquire, our founding partner, (shown here with featured lecturer, Dr. Bruce Berkowitz) participated in the 2011 Defense Base Act Conference held at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. There, she met with fellow practitioners who devote themselves to helping private defense contractors who aid and assist the United States Military (Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force) in their missions throughout the world. Private defense contractors provide logistic support, technical support and other valued services to our military at bases, outposts, occupied territories, and on other missions on all seven continents.

The 2011 Defense Base Act Conference brought together some of the finest legal and medical minds from our nation and internationally so that they can help educate each other to better help those who are injured or killed while on assignment as military contractors. These cases present serious and complex legal issues that those attending the conference reviewed and discussed. The reach of the Defense Base Act is extraordinary. It is United States Federal Law and it applies all over our planet, applies to all kinds of injuries, and it applies to persons regardless of their nationality. As we reported in prior articles, a private military contractor can be a German or any other national working in Iraq for a company from Great Britain, but aiding the U.S. Army and he or she is protected by this law.

The types of injuries covered can range from a simple motor vehicle accident in Afghanistan where a defense contractor is just delivering food supplies to someone killed tragically by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) near Baghdad to someone providing translation service in Japan that is exposed to radiation. All necessary medical care and treatment can be secured through the help of an experienced Defense Base Act lawyer. Further, lost wages and other monetary benefits (even a possible settlement) can be received by an injured DBA claimant with the help of a Defense Base Act attorney.

The medical issues are profound as well. The injuries range from exposure to regional diseases or parasitic exposure endemic to a certain areas, through 'normal' orthopedic and neurological injuries, through to a much more catastrophic losses of limbs (amputation), paralysis, and even death. Emotional and psychiatric consequences also can play a role in these cases. Pretty much anything that can happen to the human body, can become a part of a Defense Base Act case.

Ms. Hoffman (shown here with the Hon. Lance Africk, a Federal Judge) devotes her energies, time, resources, and talent towards helping the injured and their families. Her passion is to help them get the best possible medical care and as much financial compensation as the laws allow. Please contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns that you may have as to whether you are entitled to the worldwide protection and the benefits of the Defense Base Act; and then let her and our entire team help you.

In our recent articles we have advised you that the U.S. Defense Base Act protects contractors of any nationality working for various agencies of the United States and, specifically, the U.S. Military. We have had major bases from all branches of the military (Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force) in Japan and Okinawa for many decades. Due to the 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, and the resulting tsunami the nuclear reactors in Fukushima Prefecture have suffered catastrophic coolant failure.

When nuclear reactors can not be shut down properly and the rods of enriched uranium and/or plutonium over heat, they release enormous amounts of radioactivity. Private defense contractors in the region must be aware of the symptoms of radiation exposure. These symptoms may not show for months. Any questions as to coverage for radiation illness that you may have should be brought immediately to your Defense Base Act lawyer. The speed with which the symptoms may develop is generally proportional to the extent of the exposure. Logically, a high exposure even over a short period of time will create symptoms more quickly that a low exposure to radioactive isotopes over a longer period of time. There are no absolute rules here. However, even with a low level exposure if it lasts long enough (different for every person) it can still create radiation poisoning.

Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) is also known as radiation poisoning. It has also been called radiation sickness or radiation toxicity. Radiation sickness disrupts the bodies functions at the cellular level initially causing vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, loss of weight, skin disruptions including redness, skin burns, and persistent sores. Any or all of these initial symptoms need to be evaluated immediately. Remember, these initial symptoms may not show up until months after exposure so don't ignore any of them. Contact a Defense Base Act lawyer with experience. Severe gastrointestinal symptoms accompanied by skin lesions become worse without proper diagnosis and treatment.

Treatment generally consists of blood transfusions, antibiotics, and supportive therapies to control the skin lesions and overcome the gastric distress. Iodine is administered as well so that the thyroid gland absorbs the relatively harmless iodine and NOT the radioisotopes. Because low to moderate ARS (Acute Radiation Syndrome) causes a drop in red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets this shows up in the patient as extreme fatigue, uncontrollable bleeding, and susceptibility to infections. More severe cases have those symptoms plus dizziness (vertigo), headaches (cephalgia), and even coma. If you, as a private defense contractor experience any of these symptoms, you must immediately report the exposure and secure medical treatment. You will need legal help as well to make sure that you get all of the benefits available to you under the U.S. Defense Base Act. Remember a Defense Base Act attorney with experience can help you or your family member who qualifies get all of the medical care you need, lost wages, and a possible settlement.

Please see our earlier article on the incredibly fine humanitarian assistance the U.S. Marines, the other military branches, and private defense contractors are providing to the Japanese people. The 'triple threat' of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown has left Japan and the Japanese people in dire need. Towns and cities were destroyed, many thousands killed, thousands more are missing, and the exact extent of the devastation is still unknown. Our U.S. military has been called upon to render aid and with them come the many private military contractors who aid and assist not only the Japanese people, but also to the U.S. military.

Unfortunately, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi (Daiichi) nuclear reactors have suffered catastrophic failures in their cooling systems, have leaked radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere, and the "hail mary" ploys of pumping sea water into the reactors to cool the rods has left the ocean contaminated in the region. Workers for TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) have already been exposed to tens of thousands of times the acceptable levels of radiation. This past weekend, power plant workers were again evacuated from reactor three when water containing between ten thousand to fifty thousand times the safe level of radioactive isotopes got past their protective clothing.

The picture is bleak but, fortunately, our military and our private defense contractors will not be deployed into the reactors. The entire region, however, holds danger and without becoming an alarmist, it is very important for our military contractors to be aware of the dangers of radiation exposure, the symptoms to look out for, and the help and treatments that are available.

The United States Defense Base Act provides protection for our defense contractors. Any one of ANY nationality working under a contract with the United States government; various agencies and the military (Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force) is covered anywhere in the world. All of the defense bases and occupied territories in Asia may experience potentially serious levels of radiation in the air, food, and water. It is vitally important that anyone exposed to radiation or even suspecting radiation sickness contact an experienced Defense Base Act lawyer for help in securing testing, treatment, and lost wages. A settlement may also be possible. You need to discuss all of these benefits with your Defense Base Act attorney.

Please see our next blog posting regarding symptoms of radiation poisoning. Remember, the odds are that you will not have any problems in Japan or in Asia, but the possibility does exist for radiation poisoning. Given that possibility, you need to protect yourself. There are treatments that work, but you have to know about the symptoms and you need to get legal advice about the medical and financial benefits of the U.S. Defense Base Act.

There is an old Chinese saying; some may call it it a curse; "May you live in interesting times." Well, we sure do live in interesting times! On the Korean peninsula we have one ethnic people divided into two countries that are are still technically at a state of war. A truce was declared in 1953, back when Dwight Eisenhower was the new U.S. President. A truce or an armistice means, in essence, we will not shoot or bomb you - - - today. It does not mean peace. Hundreds of thousands of active duty servicemen and women are based on both sides of the 38th Parallel in Korea facing each other armed and ready. Private military contractors (defense contractors) from dozens of countries stand with the military rendering technical assistance, security, logistical and operational support.

In the Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, and elsewhere in Asia, there are deployments of military and defense contractors dedicated to various important missions; such as preparedness training, peacekeeping, and overall lending themselves to providing strategic and regional stability. And then, of course, there are those interesting regions; Afghanistan, North Africa, and the perennial favorite "hotspot," the Middle East.

The importance of the role of the Private Military Contractors, also known as Defense Contractors, has rarely made the front pages of the world's newspapers or the first item on television or the internet. However, the risks taken and the sacrifices made by these men and women from all over the world can not remain ignored. According investigative reporting by such internationally respected sources as the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, and the New York Times, there have frequently been many thousands more defense contractors working for the United States in Iraq than active duty military.

Because we do live in "interesting times," we need the private military contractors; we need their skills, their courage, and their dedication. The injury coverage and protection offered to defense contractors by the United States Defense Base Act is but one means of expressing the appreciation we in the U.S., and others throughout the world, have for these people and the fine work they do. More, however, can and should be done.

Libya is erupting in open warfare between elements of their military and large segments of the population. Some Libyan Air Force pilots have even left the country; preferring to defect and take their planes with them rather than be ordered to shoot civilians. In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak resigned after weeks of enormous rallies and protests in Cairo and throughout the country. Elsewhere in the region longstanding administrations; some friendly with the United States; are being overthrown or are reaching compromises.

Military contractors from Afghanistan to the Middle East and throughout Europe and North Africa need to closely watch these breaking news stories. These are incredible and momentous events. The entire region is in turmoil and while that does increase opportunities for defense contractor positions, it also increases the inherent dangers.

Col. Muammar Gaddafi responded to protests in his country by having the protesters shot. There are open battles taking place in Libya today. Governments in Europe, North America, and throughout the world are demanding that Gaddafi stop the bloodshed and resign immediately. U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, summed up the position of the United States in telling Gaddafi to "go now." In Geneva, she said that Gaddafi and his followers used "mercenaries and thugs" to kill civilian protesters and terrorizing whole communities.

There are stories coming out of Libya of mid level military officers loyal to Gaddafi murdering soldiers who refuse to fire on civilian citizens.

The EU (European Union) today imposed even more sanctions on the Libyan dictator and his regime.Assets throughout the world have been frozen, travel is restricted for Col. Gaddafi and his top aides, and a general arms embargo is being imposed. Tens of thousands of refugees are trying to leave Libya. Migrants working in Libya (many from Egypt) are stranded near Libya's border with Tunisia. These workers (many in oil industry) are asking the Egyptian Army to rescue them. The overall situation is getting far worse. There will be a lot of opportunities for defense contractors in the upcoming months (possibly years). Civilian populations will be in turmoil for some time until the fighting stops (if it does). Security will be a top priority for the U.S. Military and other governmental agencies working in the area. Oil prices will be fluctuating wildly. The term "instability" hardly describes this explosive series of events. Defense contractors and the United States Armed Forces are getting prepared for different scenarios and remain on high alert.

The Middle Eastern unrest has grown from a few small gatherings of angry students to tens of thousands of protesters in multiple countries. After 31 years in power Hosni Mubarak stepped down from the presidency in Egypt. In Libya, there is general warfare taking place and a real question in the minds of diplomats and business leaders throughout the world is how it will develop.

Defense Base Act cases are likely to rise as the political and military situation in the region becomes more unstable. We ask our clients and their families to use extreme caution on and off base and in the occupied territories in the region.

Oil prices are likely to rise as Libya's oil; perhaps only 3% of the world's ready supply may be in jeopardy. Saudi Arabia has sufficient capacity to make up the difference easily, but there is still going to at least be an interim increase in prices. The United States has called on diplomats and many defense contractors to depart the region. Germany and the United Kingdom are working to send charter flights into Libya to bring out their nationals. We ask that everyone keep a close watch on local, national, and regional developments. As a practical matter, you might also consider contacting family members and keeping them apprised of your status and whereabouts. The internet has been "shut down" for a time in Egypt and severely curtailed in Yemen, Bahrain, and Libya. You might also want to pre-select a Defense Base Act attorney if an unfortunate accident should take you out of commission. Let your family know your wishes in that area should you sustain a serious injury. Check on your rights now. Protect yourself at all costs.

Travel restrictions; almost always an annoying issue; are going to get worse for the foreseeable future. We suggest you keep your valuables, identification documents, and travel documents with you at all times. We, of course, are quite hopeful that the region will settle down, become stable, and perhaps even more democratic. Still, please exercise extreme caution and take prudent steps to protect yourself.

Our military servicemen and women have been exposed to brutal war time conditions in multiple regions throughout the word; most recently in the Middle East and in Afghanistan. These courageous men and women have suffered a vast array of injuries, including catastrophic spinal cord damage resulting in paralysis, amputation cases, and massive head trauma. Post traumatic shock syndrome (PTSD) has become more commonplace among our veterans. Even those who have been able to come home with little or no physical injury are often still traumatized by their experiences. Our nation and other freedom loving peoples owe an enormous debt of gratitude and respect for our Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard veterans and we want to extend our thanks to them and their families.

But, let us not forget the others who have also suffered horrific conditions in Iraq, Yemen, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the rest of the Middle East. Of course, let us not forget Korea and the rest of Asia. These peoples are also brave, also our sons and daughters, and also they have been injured in war time conditions. And, yet, rarely are they mentioned in the press or in political debate. They are the men and women who willingly work for the Federal Government as contractors. They provide support, security, intelligence, and a multitude of services to our military and other governmental agencies in occupied territories and military installations throughout the world. They also get shot and blown up; suffering amputations and death when insurgents decide to use an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) at a restaurant, a coffee shop, or just on a simple roadside. We should remember and thank these contractors as well.

Theirs is often an untold story. When we look at the human cost of war and the preservation of security and peace, we have to remember that over 1,350 civilian contractor personnel died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 29,000 other contractors sustained injuries and approximately 8,500 of those were very serious. Many of these contractors are foreign nationals working for our Armed Forces. They risk their lives, their families, and at times their whole villages when they help the United States Military.

While there is not enough public support or awareness of the risks and dangers faced by military contractors, (defense contractors), there are legal benefits and protections available. These provide needed medical care, medical evacuation, long term hospitalization and rehabilitation. There are procedures to get lost wages suffered as a result of an injury. And, their are death benefits to help a struggling family endure the loss of a father, a mother, a son, or daughter. Our goal is to help you, the military contractor, secure services and benefits vital to you and your family. The United States Defense Base Act allows us as advocates for the injured to secure from our key location in Florida these benefits and more. Whether you are based in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the world, you are entitled to medical care and lost income. Whether you are a U.S. Citizen or not makes no difference. You are entitled also to help and legal representation from experienced attorneys. We are proud to represent the injured; the often forgotten, but courageous men and women of many nations who throughout the world have voluntarily joined with the United States Military in pursuit of freedom and security throughout the world.

The United States has had difficulty determining which side or sides to support in the recent unrest in Egypt. For thirty years, Hosni Mubarak lead a stable economical, political, and military regime in Egypt. As our defense contractors and their many employees well know, the United States has had close military ties with Egypt during the Mubarak administration. Of course, the United States is also the international champion of freedom and democracy. Our legal system has provided some of these protections to our citizens and those who work for defense contractors and the U.S. Military throughout the world.

On one hand, the U.S. supports the people's right to peaceably assemble, to choose in a democratic process their leaders, to make laws through elected assemblies, and to seek redress for wrongs in unbiased courts. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin during the Second Continental Congress wrote into our Declaration of Independence those very principles. George Washington, our first great military leader and later president, fought the British and their Hessian mercenaries for many brutal years to win those precious rights. It is hard, therefore, to reconcile America's historical role in promoting democracy with our support (up until now) of the Mubarak administration.

Our defense contractors and those many that work directly or indirectly for them are also scrambling to achieve a balance. Egypt has for decades received American military support; arms, equipment, support, and money (in the billions). The popular uprising in Egypt has unseated Mr. Mubarak who resigned just days ago. The Egyptian military is in official control and has promised to hold free and fair democratic elections within six months. What will really happen? When? How?

These questions are being posed at the highest governmental and business levels throughout the world. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) frequently has the best coverage; comprehensive, current, and unbiased; on this and related topics and we invite our clients to keep current on these developments. Their link to the Middle Eastern section of the World Report is at BBC Middle East. Please remember that what happens in Egypt is likely to have significant effects in the entire region and this may very well affect you directly.

Whether you are working in Iraq at Victory Base, Camp Taji, Abu Ghraib, or Fallujah, you need to keep abreast of these developments. If you are based in Qatar at the Al Udeid Air Base or are in Kuwait at Camp Buehring or Camp Ali Al Salem, then you and everyone else in the region need to track these news stories. Remember, in Iran, in 1979 it was popular student demonstrations and uprisings that toppled the Shah from power. It was only after that, when there was great political instability, that the Ayatollah Khomeini seized an opportunity to gain power as sweeping and totalitarian as that held by the Shah. In Egypt, the Moslem Brotherhood and others may seek to do the same.

When there is great political instability, there is even greater risk of conflict and injury to the employees of defense contractors providing logistical support, security, and other services to the United States Military. Should injury or death occur due to this regional instability, you or your family should immediately consult with experienced attorneys strategically based in Florida to quickly secure the medical and financial benefits of the United States Defense Base Act.

Unlike in a personal injury case, where it is necessary to prove that someone else was negligent and caused the accident, a Defense Base Act case does not require an "at fault" party. You do not have to prove that someone else caused your injury! All that you have to show is that you were injured while employed with one of the many contractors doing work for the United States military and, at times, other government agencies. Most people understand, for example, that if you are in a car accident, truck accident, or train accident and the other driver was at fault in causing the accident, you can sue them with an attorney's help for your damages.

What is not common knowledge, however, is that in a Defense Base Act case, you do not have to show that anyone is at fault. Sometimes, accidents just happen! For example, let's assume that you are in Italy, working at Aviano Air Base, working for the Air Force in a security role. If you fall down a flight of stairs, if a weapon misfires, if you even choke on food you yourself prepared; it is still covered! Certainly, if there is an at fault party, you may actually have two cases. The Defense Base Act cases, like the Longshore & Harborworkers Act, acknowledge that some accidents just happen.

We were working on a case recently where the injured worker was just standing by a truck. You wouldn't think standing by a truck waiting for authorization to leave the premises was so dangerous! Well, a tank of compressed oxygen fell off a different truck about three hundred feet away, clipped a steel bar on the way down, knocked off the safety cap, and turned it into a missile that went flying after our client! Our client was not at fault. No one else was determined to be at fault. It just happened! Our client was covered and is receiving benefits. So, you see, fault is not the issue in these cases. And that is a good thing because some horrendous accidents can and do occur in Defense Base Act cases. In Iraq and Afghanistan; the current "hotspots" for military activity, if a contractor employee is shot, injured due to an improvised explosive device (IED), or just simply rear ended out on a highway, it is all covered.

The real "trick" here is to know what to do. Are you in fact covered by the Defense Base Act? How is the claim filed, what statements are you supposed to give, what statements are you supposed to avoid, what doctors do you go to, what paperwork is necessary, what are the time deadlines, how do you get paid, etc., etc. For those and other very important questions, we would suggest that you or your family members immediately contact us for help in the process. After all, you need your health care, you need your income, and you need to avoid any delays or complications.

What types of contractors are covered? What positions and job descriptions fall under the Defense Base Act (DBA)? You would be amazed at the many types of careers that fall within the DBA. If you or a loved one is working for any of the hundreds of companies that provide military contract services to U.S. military and other governmental agencies almost anywhere in the world, the DBA provides a blanket of protection for you. However, as there are strict time deadlines, you will need to act quickly to secure the medical and financial benefits you need. Because the DBA is United States Federal Law and as it applies internationally, it can be very complex. Getting an experienced lawyer on your side quickly helps make sure that you know your rights and that you can claim your benefits.

Almost any type of job description can be covered; a truck driver in Afghanistan, a translator in Iraq, a security guard in Guantanamo, Cuba, even a cook in the Philippines may be entitled to United States benefits. One significant benefit of this particular law is that the injured party (you or your family member) does not have to be a U.S. Citizen to receive DBA benefits. You do not have any specific nationality. All may be covered if they are employed by a contractor doing work for the United States. For example, a Brazilian National doing work for a U.S. governmental contractor in Germany is covered if he or she gets injured while on assignment in Bulgaria. However, it is not that simple! It often requires an attorney well versed in the DBA to maximize your benefits. That lawyer can easily be based in Florida to handle your international case. Florida and, specifically South Florida, has become very recognized as an international hub. The United States military and a great many contracting companies base operations here in South Florida.

The global reach of this very specialized workers' compensation statute has another excellent component. You do not have to come to the United States for medical care! If you are based or operating somewhere in the Middle East; in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, or Qatar, for example; and you are injured, then medical care can be provided for you right where you are located. So, whether you are providing security, maintenance, logistical, technical, professional, or other services to a contractor working for the U.S. government, you very well may be entitled to the protection and benefits of the U.S. Defense Base Act. Contact a Defense Base Act Lawyer immediately to find out.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been covered by the Defense Base Act; in the United States, in Europe, in Asia, and throughout the world. It was first passed by Congress in 1941. Then after the United States became embroiled in World War Two, it was supplemented by the 1942 War Hazards Act. Most recently, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and most of Middle East as well as Afghanistan have been the "hotspots" of activity. Geographically, it can now cover almost anywhere on Earth. You need to know that the Defense Base Act is alive and well to this very day! It may cover you for injuries, occupational illnesses, or death claims. If you qualify, you are entitled to significant medical benefits, lost income (wages), and many other benefits. When you or a loved one is injured (or killed) it devastates the entire family. It is incredibly important that you know your rights and how you can get help.

The Defense Base Act (DBA) is United States Federal Law. It covers employees of contractors of the United States. It covers the risks and dangers of war and various other military operations. If you are a civilian and work for a company that is contracted with the U.S. Military or many governmental agencies and you are injured anywhere in the world, you may be protected by this important law. You are likely to need legal assistance to negotiate the procedures and pitfalls in this complex system. After all, getting the medical treatment you need is the key to your health and your future. Plus you will need income while you are recuperating.

The DBA is a Workers' Compensation program that is administered by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP). The OWCP is an agency of the United States and any and all national or international claims or cases can be conveniently handled from South Florida. South Florida is also a hub for the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. For example, the United States Southern Command is located in South Florida and is headed up by a Four Star General. Plus, all of the military branches have offices and bases in Florida and many government contractors base operations here as well.

If you or a loved one gets injured while working under a U.S. federal contract on a military base, in occupied territories, and many other overseas locations, it is vitally important that you learn your rights and aggressively pursue your claim. Experienced lawyers can help you secure these benefits and make sure that you get the medical treatment you need and the money that you are entitled to receive. Please do not waste any time to find out if you are covered under the Defense Base Act. Find out now!