Maritime Lawyer Serving Texas

Maintenance and Cure Explained

A maritime worker has a special relationship with his or her employer. The nature of this work may require a crew member to work on a vessel for weeks or months on end. The maritime worker will rely on his or her employer not only for normal wages but for food and shelter. If a maritime worker falls ill or becomes injured while working at sea, medical care may also be required. This special relationship is recognized through the principle of maintenance and cure. An injured maritime worker is entitled to room and board, medical care and wages if he or she is injured at sea.

If you were working off the coast of Texas or anywhere along the Gulf Coast and were injured, you may be entitled to maintenance and cure benefits under maritime law. A Texas offshore injury lawyer can assist you, helping you seek and recover fair compensation regardless of who may have been at fault or what other factors may come into play.

What are maintenance and cure benefits?

A maritime employer may be held liable for maintenance and cure benefits regardless of who may have been at fault in causing an accident or a maritime worker's injuries. So what does "maintenance and cure" cover?

Maintenance benefits refer to a maritime worker's room and board while he or she is recovering from an illness or injury. Maintenance benefits may also include necessary living expenses such as utilities, food, rent and transportation.

Cure benefits refer to medical expenses. This may cover medication, hospitalization, surgery, medical supplies, assistive devices, rehabilitative therapy, in-home care, X-rays, MRI and CT scans and any other care that an injured maritime worker receives, until he or she reaches maximum medical improvement.

Involve a Texas Maritime Injury Attorney

Recovering the maintenance and cure benefits to which you should be entitled is not always easy. Your employer may try to limit their liability, claiming that the incident did not occur on the vessel. They may offer the bare minimum to cover medical care, leaving you unable to provide for your family. Instead of being taken advantage of by your employer, involve a Texas maritime lawyer who can and will fight for fair benefits on your behalf.

At Arnold & Itkin LLP, we are dedicated to helping offshore workers, seamen and maritime workers of all kinds in and around Texas. We also assist clients in offshore injury claims nationwide. We realize how important maintenance and cure benefits are to our clients and therefore use all of our resources, knowledge and experience to seek the best possible result in every claim we handle.

For skilled guidance with a maintenance and cure claim, contact a Texas maritime injury attorney at our firm today.