Future Medical Care- Longshore

If you have a Longshore* claim, and have not settled future medical care with an 8(i) agreement – then you have lifetime medical coverage for conditions related to your injury. That sounds great – but I like to tell my clients this does not mean treatment is  automatically authorized, it  means you have the right to fight about it.

The responsible carrier is always going to look for an argument that treatment is related to some new injury or workplace exposure. Such a new injury or worsening related to work activities can serve to shift liability to a more recent employer. That is not necessarily a bad thing – If your condition has worsened or been aggravated by a new injury or work conditions, it may well support a new claim. This may actually benefit the worker if wages have increased over time.

Whether to seek medical care under an existing or older Longshore claim versus filing a new claim will depend in large part on individual circumstances and the opinions of your treating medical provider. Either way, sorting out your best arguments based on your specific circumstance is something a qualified longshore attorney can help you with.

• This includes non-appropriated fund and DBA claims, which are covered through extensions to the Longshore and Harbor Workers C0mpensation Act.