Jones Act Seaman Rights to payment of medical bills, medical treatment, and living expenses

The Injured Seaman's Right to Maintenance and Cure

If you are a seaman and are injured in the course of your employment, you have certain rights under federal law and the Jones Act.

One of the most important rights is the right to "maintenance and cure." When an accident occurs while the seaman is engaged in duty aboard the vessel, he is entitled to medical benefits (called "cure") and living expenses (called "maintenance").

Medical Benefits

Medical benefits include: hospitalization, medication, access to medical equipment, payment for physical therapy, a doctor who is conveniently located near you (if possible, access to specialists if your injury requires a specialist, any other necessary and reasonable medical care.

Your employer is required to make these payments if you are hurt in the course of your employment. Period.

Daily living expenses

An injured worker is also entitled to payments for daily living expenses such as the following:

Food and grocery bills, utility bills, other reasonable living expenses;

Jones Act employers don't always follow the law

Unfortunately, in many cases, the seaman's employer will refuse to follow the law. For example, we currently represent a number of seaman who are badly injured and cannot work. Nevertheless, their employers refuse to provide for their medical care and treatment. One of our main goals in these cases is to get the employer to pay what they owe to our clients.

Negotiating for these benefits without a skilled and knowledgeable maritime lawyer can be difficult. The employee may not know the employer's responsibility under the law or the Jones Act employer may try to trick the seaman out of his or her benefits.

This is one area where an experienced maritime lawyer can help. An experienced maritime lawyer can ensure that the Jones Act employer does not unfairly trick the seaman out of benefits that are due under the law.

The maritime accident and injury lawyers at our law firm are dedicated to providing seaman worldwide with the best possible representation. Our goal is go obtain the best possible settlement in the shortest amount of time.

If you have a maritime accident or injury case, before you talk to the company or any insurance adjusters, before you give a recorded statement, and before you choose the wrong attorney for your case, request a copy of Mr. Beckcom's book and read this list of helpful articles.

Interested in learning more about really happens in a maritime injury case?

Click here to request a copy of the "Insider's Guide to Winning Your Maritime Injury Case"

To learn more about our law firm and what we can do for you, please visit the following websites:

http://www.vbattorneys.com/

www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

http://www.houstoninjuryaccidentlaw.com/

If you want to know more about offshore injury claims, please take a moment to read the following articles:

1. How to hire the best lawyer for your Jones Act or offshore injury case

2. How much is my Jones Act, maritime injury, or offshore injury case worth?

3. What is the Jones Act?

4. How to wreck your Jones Act case

5. Financial Insecurity and Wrongful Termination - Two Fears After a Maritime Injury

6. What is a Longshoreman and What Are Their Legal Rights When Injured?

7. The difference between the Jones Act and the Longshore & Harbor Worker's Compensation Act

8. The Truth About Offshore Injury Claims.

9. What Should You Do If You Are Injured Offshore

10. What you should know if you were hurt offshore and your employer is giving you a hard time

11. Should I give my employer or the insurance company a "recorded statement?"

12. Do I need to hire a lawyer for my Jones Act or offshore injury claim?

13. What happens when you file a Jones Act lawsuit.

14. 6 Critical Things you must know if you are injured at sea

15. The Secrets Your Employer May Not Want You To Know If You Are Injured Offshore.

16. I was injured on a cruise ship - What are my legal rights?

About our law firm

Brian Beckcom handles Jones Act, maritime injury, and other offshore injury cases. If you want to find out more about our law firm and the types of cases we handle, please visit our Maritime Injury Law practice area page on our main website.

Or, you can send a message to Mr. Beckcom by using the Contact form on this website.