Private military contractors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at up to twice the rate of regular military personnel, according to a RAND Corporation study. Moreover, many of these individuals are not getting the treatment they need and deserve. The study, which was conducted in 2012, also found that the number of deployed military contractors often …
Continuing Dangers: Overseas Contractors Kidnapped in Iraq
Four foreign contractors – three Americans and an Iraqi translator – were kidnapped on the south side of Baghdad, according to Iraqi security sources. The U.S. State Department confirmed the abduction of “several” contractors and insisted that in-country officials were “working with the full co-operation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals.” Until recently, the Iraqi capital …
Burn Pit Dangers Continue in Iraq
Even though such operations often expose workers to toxic smoke and fumes and cause serious illness, the DoD still uses burn pits for most waste disposal. In the early 2000s, when operations began in Afghanistan and Iraq, unregulated burn pits dotted the area and worker complaints about health conditions were summarily dismissed. The landscape changed in 2009, when in response …
February 2016 Newsletter
Welcome to the DBA Newsletter, prepared by Barnett, Lerner, Karsen & Frankel, P.A. We hope this will help you learn more about the Defense Base Act and your legal rights. Community Involvement The firm continues to invest in the local and legal community. Liza E. Lima, Esq. recently joined the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (“WISTA”). WISTA is an …
Are Biodegradable Devices the Future of Brain Injury Monitoring?
Head injuries are notoriously difficult to detect and treat, but a new diagnostic tactic is now being tested in laboratory animals by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis. Current brain injury monitoring techniques rely on cumbersome electrodes and wires that can only be used in controlled conditions, or on risky implants that …