We can all agree that working overseas comes with a wide array of benefits. At the same time, it comes with some potential issues that may happen.

However, you can rest assured because the Defense Base Act protects most Federal Workers, a statute that will provide you both medical benefits and wage loss if you are injured on the job.

Of course, you have to work for the Department of State or the Department of Defense to comply with this particular act. Keep in mind that it is one of the best ways to protect civilians injured overseas, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, among other areas.

In particular, this act will cover overseas contractors that are injured within the state during the preparation and training to go abroad.

Let us start from the beginning.

Who Is Eligible For Defense Base Act?

Keep in mind that this particular act covers most civilian contractors supporting US military services from security forces to food service employees.

It is also a protection for individuals operating under public works, repairs, and construction in the US and abroad, depending on specific factors.

Keep in mind that it covers people working for the Peace Corps and other humanitarians that are handling recovery efforts worldwide.

Therefore, if you are an employee working for the Department of Defense or Department of State, you should know that you would be eligible for it wherever you are.

 Generally, it is a worldwide statute, which means that you will get appropriate compensation depending on numerous factors.

However, in most cases, it is used for civilian employees injured in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Qatar, Kuwait, Antarctica, and South America, among other areas.

You should click here to learn more about this particular act in general.

Compensation Benefits

It would be best to remember that this particular act functions similarly to Harbor Workers’ and Longshore compensation act. Therefore, you will be able to get four different classes of benefits depending on numerous factors.

For instance, everything depends on the contractor’s medical status, his ability to earn in the future, and many more. The issues can be divided into these four statuses:

• Temporary total disability – We are talking about benefits that the contractor will get throughout the healing process, especially since he/she is unable to continue with the work.
• Temporary partial disability – If the medical condition is still in the phase of healing and the contractor can work, he/she will get this particular type of compensation.
• Permanent Total Disability – If the contractor’s health has reached the medical improvement, but he/she will not be able to work anymore due to the severity of injuries, they are entitled to this particular type of compensation.
• Permanent partial disability – Finally, a contractor will get benefits if the medical condition has improved over time, which means that he/she can work with ease.

It is vital to understand the overall classification of all the advantages and benefits you may obtain after a claim. In case you classify it inappropriately, you will be able to lose money that you should be based on the act.

That is the main reason why you should talk with an attorney to make sure that you understand your current classification and to get compensation based on all relevant information.

What about Medical Mileage and Benefits?

Keep in mind that this particular act is the extension of the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, which means that you should check out the requirements and other factors by reading both of them.

The most important consideration is that the insurance carrier or employer of a particular contractor should pay benefits depending on the injury and other factors.

Check out this link: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/dlhwc/lsdba to visit the Department of Labor’s official website.

When it comes to medical expenses, you should know that they include much more than office visitations, prescriptions, and potential surgeries. Contractors can also request additional reimbursement for the mileage he drove to reach a particular medical expert.

Apart from necessary and reasonable care, an employer or carrier has to provide doctors’ free choice, which means that you will be able to choose based on your preferences.

That is not something that you will get with regular insurance, which makes it better in the long run.