Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act

The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act was adopted in 1927 in order to assist workers engaged in the maritime field in securing benefits . Essentially, the Act was designed to cover workers involved in the loading and unloading of vessels, however, over the years the Act has continually been expanded to cover maritime workers working for maritime employers.

The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act provides an injured worker with medical care for all of their injuries, potentially for the rest of their lives, along with the right to wages while the injuries are disabling.

Under certain circumstances, the Longshore Act provides an injured worker with a scheduled benefit upon reaching maximum medical improvement, while in other circumstances, an injured worker may have the right to protection for any loss of earnings attributed to their injuries. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act provides coverage for both physical as well as psychological injuries, as long as the injured worker can establish that either an accident occurred or working conditions existed which either caused, aggravated or accelerated the worker’s medical condition.

Barnett, Lerner, Karsen, & Frankel, P.A. handles Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation cases nationally, and the lawyers have frequently lectured on the topic throughout the United States.