State - You have been injured on the job, perhaps working on a construction site, in a factory or refinery. You are unable to work. Or maybe you find that after returning to work, your condition has worsened and you will soon be unable to perform your usual tasks. You apply for workers’ compensation benefits to help meet your medical and financial needs only to find your claim has been denied or ignored. Every year, 10,000 workers are killed in work-related accidents; 60,000 workers are permanently disabled; six million are injured; and 100,000 die from illnesses related to exposure to products like lead and asbestos. After suffering such a tragedy, the families of these workers, at the very least, should not have to worry about medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses. The Reeves Law Firm is committed to helping injured workers obtain monetary and rehabilitative relief. Contact our office to speak with one of our professionals for an evaluation of your case.
Federal (Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act) - The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, commonly referred to as the “longshore act” or LHWCA, provides occupational injury and disease benefits to maritime workers in certain cases where the Jones Act and state workers’ compensation do not. Under this act, workers injured or who have contracted occupational diseases while employed in support of the maritime industry as shipbuilders, dock workers, longshoremen, mechanics, or maintenance workers on any canal, river, or other waterway are entitled to compensation.
The Jones Act only covers seamen, and state workers’ compensation schemes do not cover workers on navigable waters. The LHWCA fills this gap by providing benefits for maritime workers who are not seamen, but who are injured on navigable waters or adjoining areas in the United States. “Adjoining areas” include all areas that are used in loading, unloading, repairing, or building a vessel, including docks, piers, terminals, and dry dock facilities.
With the Defense Base Act (DBA) Congress has extended the LHWCA to cover non-appropriated fund employees (i.e. AAFES employees), outer-continental-shelf workers, and U.S. government contractors working in foreign countries.
The LHWCA is similar to state workers’ compensation schemes as it does not require that a worker’s employer be found at fault for the worker’s injury. Contact our office to speak with one of our professionals for an evaluation of your case.
Federal (Federal Employee Compensation Act) – the Reeves Law Firm, P.A. is staffed by a dedicated group who represent injured federal workers under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) (5 U.S.C. § 8101 et. seq.). The Office of Workers Compensation Program provides compensation for lost wages and medical benefits to civilian employees of the United States for disability due to personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty or to employment-related disease. Contact our office to speak with one of our professionals for an evaluation of your case.