Longshore & Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA)

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act provides certain workers' compensation benefits for injured maritime workers

According to the United States Department of Labor the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) provides work-related injury and occupational-disease protection to approximately 500,000 workers who are hurt or fall ill while working on the navigable waters of the United States.

What you should know about Maritime Law...

Specifically, "The Act provides for compensation and medical care to employees disabled from injuries that occur on the navigable waters of the United States, or in adjoining areas used in loading, unloading, repairing, or building certain vessels."

If the worker's injury results in death, the LHWCA may also provide benefits to the survivors.

If you suffered a maritime injury or illness it is your right to seek compensation from your employer to protect your health, your family and your livelihood. If a loved one died while in a marine position, you may also be able to seek a claim.

The attorneys at Arnold & Itkin LLP are experienced and have a successful track record with marine-related cases. We represent workers all along the Gulf Coast in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and we will work to get you the compensation you deserve.

Call us toll free at 877-398-4972 or use our online contact form for a free initial consultation.

Workers covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act include longshore workers or other persons in longshore operations, and other harbor workers, including ship repairers, shipbuilders, harbor construction workers and shipbreakers. Seamen covered under the Jones Act and other workers covered by their state workers’ compensation law are not covered under the LHWCA.

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, similar to many state workers' compensation laws, does not require that a worker's employer be found at fault for the worker's injury.

Workers' compensation benefits provided by the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act include:

• Medical and disability payments;
• Rehabilitation services;
• Wrongful death benefits for survivors of maritime workers
  who die from work related injuries;
• Medical benefits for occupational diseases that arise
  naturally out of maritime employment;
• Vocational rehabilitation.

Benefit Payment Amount

The payments for disabled employees are paid at a rate of 66 2/3 percent of the employee’s average weekly wage for as long as the effects of the injury continue. This rate is subject to weekly maximum and minimum rates. Compensation is also available for certain permanent impairments. Benefits paid to a surviving spouse are paid at 50 percent of the deceased's average weekly wage, and an additional 16 2/3 percent is payable to any surviving children.

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Time is of the essence when initiating a claim for benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. An injured employee must notify his or her employer of the injury or illness within 30 days of its occurrence, and a formal claim for benefits must be filed within one year following the date of the harm the worker has suffered.

Arnold & Itkin LLP serves maritime clients in Texas and along the Gulf Coast. We are aggressive, skilled and experienced, and we work hard to maximize our clients' recoveries. Our hard work allows us to go to trial with confidence in our ability to win.

For a free initial consultation with an experienced Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and maritime injury attorney, call us toll free 877-398-4972 or contact us using the form on this page.

You can read the entire text of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act in our LHWCA Reference pages.

For additional news on maritime injuries and laws, see gulfcoastmarine.com.