Defense Base Act Claims for PTSD
For Civilians Injured Overseas

Defense Base Act Lawyers Explain DBA Claims for PTSD or Trauma

Civilian contractors working in war zones and other dangerous overseas locations face psychological trauma that can be just as devastating as physical injuries. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions affect thousands of contractors who witnessed violence, experienced attacks, or worked under constant threat during their overseas assignments.

The Defense Base Act covers these psychological injuries, yet many contractors struggle to obtain benefits because mental health claims face unique challenges that physical injury claims don’t encounter. The experienced attorneys at the Los Angeles area law firm of Cantrell Green help contractors navigate the complex process of pursuing DBA benefits for PTSD and other psychological conditions.

Understanding how the Defense Base Act handles mental health claims and what evidence these claims require helps contractors pursue the benefits they’ve earned while serving alongside military forces in dangerous environments.

How the Defense Base Act Covers Psychological Injuries

The Defense Base Act provides workers’ compensation benefits to civilian contractors injured while working on overseas military bases or under government contracts abroad. This coverage extends to psychological injuries including PTSD, acute stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions arising from overseas employment. Contractors who develop these conditions due to traumatic experiences during their assignments have the same right to benefits as those who suffer physical injuries.

Coverage requires establishing that the psychological condition arose out of and in the course of employment. For mental health claims, this means demonstrating that overseas work experiences caused or substantially contributed to the psychological injury. According to the Department of Labor, which administers DBA claims, compensable psychological injuries include those resulting from single traumatic events and those developing from cumulative exposure to stressful conditions.

The Defense Base Act lawyers at Cantrell Green in the Los Angeles area help contractors establish the employment connection required to obtain benefits for psychological injuries sustained during overseas work.

Unique Challenges in Defense Base Act PTSD Claims

Mental health claims under the Defense Base Act face skepticism and scrutiny that physical injury claims typically avoid. Unlike broken bones visible on x-rays or lacerations that leave scars, psychological injuries have no objective diagnostic tests. This invisibility allows employers and insurance carriers to dispute the existence, severity, and cause of mental health conditions more easily than physical injuries.

Employers frequently argue that psychological conditions preexisted overseas employment or resulted from non-work factors. Personal history, prior mental health treatment, childhood experiences, and relationship problems all become potential alternative explanations that carriers use to deny claims. Contractors must demonstrate that their overseas experiences, rather than these other factors, caused their current psychological conditions.

The stigma surrounding mental health affects how contractors report and pursue claims for psychological injuries. Many delay seeking treatment due to concerns about appearing weak or jeopardizing future employment. This delay creates gaps in medical documentation that carriers use to argue injuries aren’t as severe as claimed or didn’t result from overseas work.

The experienced attorneys at the Los Angeles area law firm of Cantrell Green understand the unique challenges Defense Base Act psychological injury claims face and develop strategies to overcome carrier defenses targeting mental health conditions.

Medical Evidence Standards for Defense Base Act Mental Health Claims

Successful DBA claims for PTSD and other psychological conditions require comprehensive medical evidence documenting both the existence of the condition and its connection to overseas employment. Psychiatric or psychological evaluations should include detailed history taking that captures the specific traumatic experiences during overseas work. Diagnoses must follow established criteria, such as DSM-5 standards for PTSD, and clearly link the condition to identified work-related stressors.

Treating mental health providers must document not only diagnoses but also functional impairments resulting from psychological conditions. Carriers frequently acknowledge that conditions exist while disputing that they cause meaningful disability. Treatment records should describe how symptoms affect daily functioning, work capacity, and quality of life. This documentation supports claims for disability benefits beyond just medical treatment.

Independent psychiatric evaluations often prove essential for contested mental health claims. Evaluators without treating relationships may be viewed as more objective by administrative law judges deciding disputed claims. These evaluations should address causation directly, explaining why the contractor’s specific overseas experiences caused their current condition rather than other potential factors.

The Defense Base Act lawyers at Cantrell Green in the Los Angeles area work with mental health experts to develop the medical evidence necessary to prove psychological injury claims and overcome carrier challenges to diagnosis and causation.

Carrier Tactics Against Defense Base Act Mental Health Claims

Insurance carriers handling DBA claims routinely challenge mental health claims more aggressively than physical injury claims. Carriers hire psychiatrists and psychologists who examine claimants and frequently conclude that conditions don’t exist, aren’t as severe as claimed, or resulted from non-work causes. These defense medical examinations create competing opinions that administrative law judges must resolve.

Carriers investigate claimants’ backgrounds searching for alternative explanations for psychological symptoms. Prior mental health treatment, difficult childhood experiences, relationship problems, and other personal history become ammunition for arguing that current conditions have nothing to do with overseas work. Even distant, minor, or unrelated psychological history may be used to dispute the work connection.

Surveillance and social media investigation target mental health claimants particularly aggressively. Carriers argue that claimants photographed in public, socializing, or engaging in activities couldn’t possibly suffer from PTSD or depression as severely as claimed. These tactics misunderstand how psychological conditions actually affect people and how symptoms fluctuate, but they create evidence that influences claim outcomes.

The experienced attorneys at the Los Angeles area law firm of Cantrell Green anticipate carrier tactics and prepare clients to address attacks on their Defense Base Act mental health claims effectively.

Benefits Available Under the Defense Base Act for PTSD

Contractors suffering from PTSD or other psychological conditions resulting from overseas work deserve the same benefits available for physical injuries. These benefits include medical treatment for the psychological condition, temporary total disability payments during periods of incapacity, and permanent disability benefits if conditions cause lasting impairment. For serious psychological injuries, lifetime benefits may be available.

Medical benefits cover psychiatric treatment, psychological therapy, medications, and other reasonable and necessary care for the compensable condition. Contractors should seek appropriate treatment both for their health and to document the ongoing nature of their conditions. Gaps in treatment raise questions about severity that carriers exploit to minimize claims.

Wage replacement benefits provide crucial financial support while contractors recover from psychological injuries that prevent work. Demonstrating inability to work due to mental health conditions requires clear medical opinions linking functional limitations to the diagnosed condition. Vocational evidence may help establish that psychological conditions prevent return to the contractor’s former occupation or any substantial employment.

The Defense Base Act lawyers at Cantrell Green in the Los Angeles area help contractors pursue the full range of benefits available for psychological injuries, from medical treatment through permanent disability compensation.

 Defense Base Act Lawyers | Los Angeles Area

Psychological trauma from overseas contractor work creates real injuries that deserve compensation under the Defense Base Act. PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions resulting from war zone experiences or dangerous overseas assignments are covered injuries, even though these claims face challenges that physical injury claims don’t encounter. Understanding these challenges and building strong medical evidence overcomes carrier resistance to mental health claims.

The experienced attorneys at the Los Angeles area law firm of Cantrell Green help civilian contractors obtain Defense Base Act benefits for PTSD and other psychological injuries. If overseas work has affected your mental health, schedule a consultation to discuss your rights and options for pursuing the benefits you’ve earned.

Los Angeles Area Defense Base Act Lawyers: 800-964-8047