The Longshore harbor workers compensation Act is designed specifically to protect the 500,000 or so maritime workers who incur injuries and illnesses from working on the U.S.’s navigable waters and in adjacent areas. At its core, the act provides $747 million plus in benefits financially, medically and vocationally to help these workers. So the Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act essentially helps protect these workers while compensating them for their injuries and their illnesses.

However, not everything is peachy keen with the Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act, since there are loopholes and ways to get around covering these workers. A Defense Base Act lawyer, then, usually is consulted with when things go awry and when workers fail to be compensated for their illnesses and injuries. A Defense Base Act attorney understands the law in its entirety, which is actually an extension of sorts of the workers compensation program that exists on a federal level to cover these longshoremen.

A DBA attorney, then, has the purpose of representing these workers in a court of law. These DBA lawyers know that the weekly wage on a national level of OWCP for 2011 and 2012 was $647.60 and that the DBA law provides death benefits via a special case section, which covers expenses for a funeral up to $3,000 and that survivors earn benefits too. In short, they know what is required of them to fully represent these longshoremen and maritime workers so they earn their rightful work related compensation.