The Jones Act for Jacksonville Sea-Faring Employees
If you earn your living working aboard a boat, barge, casino boat, charter boat ship, container ship, cruise ship, ferry boat, fishing boat, tanker, tug boat, or any other vessel operating in navigable waters, you may be considered a Jones Act seaman and in most cases covered under Federal Maritime law.
As a Jones Act seaman if you are injured aboard a vessel, then you may be entitled to maintenance (food and lodging) and cure benefits (medical care).
What is the Jones Act?
Passed in 1920 by the United States Congress, the Jones Act is a very important piece of legislation that supports American Merchant Marines. It was officially titles the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (called the Jones Act after Senator Wesley Jones who sponsored it).
The legislation was passed to establish protection for sailors and to address the concerns about the health and welfare of the American Merchant Marine. The Jones Act established a system of benefits that sailors are entitled to if they are injured at sea. Before the passage of this act, sailors had very little protection for what is one of the most dangerous jobs.
The Jones Act has been amended many times through the years and has recently been re-codified.
What are the Jones Act Benefits?
The Jones Act protects any sailor that is injured at sea and entitles them to "maintenance and cure" which means that an employer will have to pay a daily living stipend and provide medical care for treatment of their injury.
Plus, if your injury is determined to have resulted from unseaworthiness or negligence then you may be able to recover damages for pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, lost past and future wages, future medical expenses and the cost of retraining. This also includes death benefits if the accident results in the death of the sailor.
Who is Covered by The Jones Act?
Injuries covered under the Jones Act are different from Workers' Compensation and Longshore Injuries.
Anyone that spends at least 30% of their work time onboard a Merchant Marine vessel can qualify for Jones Act benefits. If you work on a boat, barge, casino boat, charter boat ship, container ship, cruise ship, ferry boat, fishing boat, tanker, tug boat, or any other vessel operating in navigable waters, you may be covered under the Jones Act.
Oil & Gas rig workers can also be covered under the Jones act, as well as anyone who works anywhere in or near the water, you might be covered under the Jones Act. Also those that are covered under the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act may now also be covered under the Jones Act.
Never assume that you will be covered under Workers Compensation, Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, the Jones Act or any other law until you have spoken with an experienced Maritime, Admiralty, Longshore and Jones Act Attorney. The experienced Jacksonville Jones Act Attorneys at Harris Guidi are ready to sit down to discuss your case and all of the possible laws that your situation might be covered by.
