Florida Injury Attorneys Blog
The Defense Base Act commonly referred to as the DBA provides Worker’s Compensation and Death Benefits for employees of government contractors. Let me explain how making a claim works under this Act.
This firm files compensation and death claims against corporations including KBR, Fluor, Valiant Integrated Services, Dyncorp, Academi, Lockheed Martin, SES, Science and Engineering Services, Sallyport, Michael Baker, Computer Sciences Raytheon, CSR, Vinnell Arabia, MPRI Ltd., Engility, Tetra Tech, Planate Management Group, SOC, Mission Essential Personnel, Valiant AECOM, Triple Canopy and Green Group in Federal court. If you were one of the contractor workers you can make a claim without coming to the United States. You must document your injury by seeing a doctor for either a physical or psychological injury caused by your employment. Benefits that we file covered by the Act include medical care and lost wages and survivor benefits in case of a death. For individuals living outside the United States, those benefits are generally offered in a lump sum. We are never happier than when we hand over a large settlement check to our clients. We have the carriers pay our fees and costs separately on these DBA claims.
Once the employee returns home he is generally on his own to seek medical care. Physical injuries can last for years and worsen once the employee is home without treatment. The employees who were stationed in war zones often develop psychological injuries such as PTSD which goes untreated for years once they return to their home country. The employee must see a doctor in their home country. This law firm pays to have these medical records transcribed by a certified translator so that the records can be filed with the court and a claim made for proper benefits.
There is a statue of limitations and we need to file these claims within one year of the injured person seeing a doctor and finding out they have psychological symptoms caused by the war zone work. Some of those symptoms include flashbacks, distrust, nightmares, loss of some memories, depression, avoiding situations that remind you of the event, negative changes and feelings, hyperarousal, over reaction to loud noises, physical reactions such as sweating, a pounding heart, confusion, and nausea when exposed to war zone memories or noises. We can file a hearing loss claim once a hearing test is performed and where the loss is due to exposure to gunfire, plane noises, bombs or other loud noise.