FIELD OF EXPERTISE PTSD CLAIMS
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Claims
Contract workers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from their jobs may be eligible for payments under the Defense Base Act.
The Defense Base Act is founded on the principle of wage loss, which means you can only get future compensation if you can show that your injuries prevented you from returning to your previous job. Needed by the claimant to initiate the claim is a diagnosis from a medical doctor.
Over the last decade, US government contractors have worked in war zones all over the world. Twenty-five percent of the contractors surveyed fit the criteria for PTSD. In recent years, increased attention has been paid to raise public awareness regarding service members suffering from PTSD. However, simply being aware of the problem is insufficient compensation for these contractors.
PTSD is a condition that affects persons who have experienced a traumatic event. A natural disaster, a combat experience, or a terrorist act might all qualify as a traumatic event. People with PTSD can have powerful and unpleasant thoughts and sensations as a result of a traumatic experience. Symptoms may occur within a month of the event, although they may take years to appear in certain circumstances. Symptoms common to PTSD include flashbacks or nightmares, alienation, and acute feelings of dread, grief, or rage. As a result, people tend to avoid anything that reminds them of the terrible event they went through.
Contract workers in other countries, particularly those working on US military bases, are at a higher risk of developing PTSD, and, as a result, they may be eligible for benefits under the Defense Base Act. In order to collect compensation, you must be able to prove that you are unable to return to work as a result of your injuries and are thus losing money.
If you must be able to demonstrate that your PTSD was triggered by incidents related to your job, you may be eligible for benefits. These benefits generally amount to the difference between your pre-injury and post-injury income. Like DBA claims for physical injuries, to obtain these benefits, you must file your DBA claim within one year after your workplace injury. This can be difficult to do because PTSD symptoms may not present for years in certain circumstances. As a result, the insurance companies frequently try to dismiss claims based on psychological injuries.
Hiring the DBA Law Group can mean the difference between winning and losing your PTSD claim. Call us at 1 (800) 667-2229 to speak about your potential claim.
