When maritime workers or sailors get hurt, they are entitled to benefits. They do not get traditional workers’ compensation benefits though. Their benefits are known as “maintenance and cure.” They are meant to pay for certain expenses, but they do not cover everything. Our Everett merchant mariner lawyers can tell you how these benefits can help and when you may have good reason to pursue additional compensation.

What Kinds of Expenses Should Maintenance and Cure Help Cover?

Your maintenance and cure benefits are meant to cover living expenses and care for your injuries, at least up until the point that you are healed or additional medical attention will not help. These can help you with the costs of things like:

  • Groceries
  • Transportation to medical appointments
  • Medical expenses, like the cost of doctor visits,medication, and laboratory tests
  • Rent or mortgage payments
  • Homeowner insurance
  • Property taxes
  • Utilities like water, heat, and electricity

These maintenance and cure benefits are awarded to you no matter who is at fault for your injuries. So even if you cannot make a case against your employer for negligence, you will at least receive some compensation that can help you with your bills.

What Shouldn’t Maintenance and Cure Benefits Be Used For?

You cannot just use these benefits for anything though. If it is not considered a necessity, it’s unlikely that the expense should be paid with maintenance and cure benefits. Some prominent examples of things that won’t be covered with this type of compensation include:

  • Elective medical treatments
  • Payments on loans or credit cards
  • Gasoline or fuel costs that have nothing to do with transportation to medical appointments
  • Internet costs
  • Cell phone service

What If I Need Additional Benefits?

If maintenance and cure benefits have not adequately compensated you for your injuries, then you may want to make additional claims. If you believe that your employer was partly responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, you may be able to make a claim under the Jones Act or the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, or LHWCA. Injured seamen, dock workers, and other maritime employees who can show that their employer was negligent in some way can also seek out compensation that would help make up for things like:

  • Future medical expenses
  • Future lost wages
  • The cost of rehabilitation
  • Lost earning capacity
  • Loss of enjoyment
  • Past and future pain and suffering

Every injured maritime worker has the right to explore all possible routes for compensation. Our lawyers can help you make sure that you do not leave any money on the table.

Schedule a Consultation With Our Maritime Injury Lawyers

If you got hurt on the job, make sure that you are claiming all of the benefits available to you. Contact Amy C Brown Law, PLLC to schedule a consultation with our legal team. If we think that you have a valid Jones Act or LHWCA claim, we will help you build a case and fight for the compensation that you deserve.