When to Hire a Defense Base Act Lawyer for PTSD

When to Hire a Defense Base Act Lawyer for PTSD

Aug 4, 2022 | Defense Base Act, PTSD

The United States Military employs several hundred thousand civilians in a number of different capacities. Unfortunately, this also means that these civilians are at risk of the same injuries and trauma that any service member would be.

When a civilian working for the military is injured, they can often file a claim under the Defense Base Act. A Defense Base Act Lawyer can help with this.

What if the person’s injuries aren’t physical in nature, though? What if they’re showing signs of PTSD, for instance?

It depends on the context, but, in some cases, you might have a valid claim. We’ll talk about that and how to proceed in this article.

What is the Defense Base Act?

The Defense Base Act, often shortened to DBA, is a law that states that any civilian working overseas for the US armed forces is entitled to compensation if they are injured in any way. The act also covers the civilian’s family members, provided they are also on or near the base.

DBA claims are usually handled by insurance companies who work specifically on Defense Base Act claims. A DBA lawyer is a type of attorney who specializes inn working on these cases.

Qualifications

To qualify for compensation under the DBA, your injury must be severe enough that you were unable to continue work for a significant amount of time. If you’re still able to be gainfully employed despite your injury, there’s probably no point in filing a claim.

If you do meet that qualification, the next step is to prove it. A Defense Base Act lawyer can help with this. The government keeps records on all personnel it employs in the military or government, so the records should be there, provided you’ve had psychiatric screenings between now and the time of your injuries.

Proving Connection with Work

This is where things get tricky. While you don’t have to prove that the injury happened while you were working, you do have to prove that it was somehow connected to your job or your presence overseas.

For instance, sexual assault and kidnapping are more prevalent overseas, because not only does the military have higher rates of sexual assault, but you also run the risk of potential enemies kidnapping Americans for information. For obvious reasons, this doesn’t really happen stateside.

Claiming DBA for PTSD can be difficult because PTSD symptoms are often delayed, happening months after the event in question. However, checking in with psychiatrists as soon as you start to become concerned will give you more evidence for your case later on.

When to Consult A Defense Base Act Lawyer for PTSD

Filing a Defense Base Act claim can be difficult, and getting it taken seriously can be even harder. This is especially true if you have psychological injuries, such as PTSD. The good news is that finding a good Defense Base Act Lawyer can make the whole process much easier.

We’ve discussed how to make successful DBA claims for PTSD in this article, but you can never know too much about the law and how to protect your rights.

If you want to know more about the Defense Base Act and what it covers please visit our site. We can offer some advice on finding the right DBA attorney.