Beaumont Longshore Harbor and Workers’ Compensation Act Lawyer

If you are a maritime worker, your employer is required to provide medical care, a percentage of your wages, and some other expenses if you are injured on the job. You may also be eligible for permanent disability benefits if your injuries are catastrophic. Knowing you and your family will be taken care of is comforting because you also know maritime jobs expose you to more danger than most.

Explosions, fires, forklift and cargo container accidents are common, causing broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, disfigurement, and spinal cord trauma. If you are hurt doing your job as a maritime worker, a Beaumont Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act lawyer can handle your federal claim for compensation.

The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act

The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) 33 U.S.C. §§ 901–950, is meant to benefit employees injured in navigable U.S. waterways, maritime, dock, and Outer Continental Shelf workers, and others who do not have coverage under the Jones Act. Private insurers issue policies to maritime employers to comply with the LHWCA.

Injured workers receive two-thirds of their average weekly wage while under medical care. Benefits can be issued for total or temporary disability, and death benefits are also paid when appropriate  according to 33 U.S.C. § 908(c), and 909.

Qualifying for LHWCA Coverage

The Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs oversees the LHWCA, using a two-prong test to qualify applicants: ‘status’ and ‘situs.’ Workers have status if they perform jobs on land with duties relating to the water and maritime industry. These jobs include shipbuilders, longshoremen, and harbor workers who load and unload vessels and drive trucks. Under the Defense Base Act, the LHWCA also benefits civilian military base workers.

Situs, or location, allocates benefits if part of an employee’s workday is spent on or near navigable waters, such as on piers, and in shipyards. For answers to questions about qualifying for benefits or to apply for them, contact a Beaumont Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act attorney.

Disability Benefits under the LHWCA

Benefits dispersed under the LHWCA fall into four disability categories to include:

• Temporary total disability payments benefit an employee who is unable to work after an injury, but the condition will improve, and the employee will be able to return to the job
• Temporary partial disability payments benefit employee who can perform light duty while recuperating
• Permanent total disability payments benefit employees who are unable to return to work in a similar capacity and impairment is for life, such as blindness, total paralysis, or loss of two limbs
• Permanent partial disability payments benefit employees who can return to some form of work but will carry a partial impairment for life

The LHWCA also offers disabled employees the opportunity for vocational retraining if they can work but are unable to return to the same or a similar job. Dealing with a government program is confusing, but a Beaumont Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act attorney seamlessly guides clients through the benefits process.

Learn How a Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Attorney Can Help

Maritime work is lucrative, but it comes with many risks, and the federal government implemented a benefits program to those who were hurt on the job.

Our personal injury lawyers understand not only how federal law works but how the benefits offered can make a huge difference for you and your family. We assist you with the claims process, by ensuring you qualify and submitting the appropriate evidence. We answer your questions and meet filing deadlines while you focus on healing without concern for the legal aspects. Contact a Beaumont Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act lawyer to discuss your claim now.