California Defense Base Act Attorney Straight Talk: Dealing With the DBA Insurance Adjuster
If you are injured while working for a company that has a contract with an agency of the United States Government for work outside of the United States, whether of a military nature or not, your claim probably falls under the Defense Base Act. The Defense Base Act includes civilian employees currently working for the United States or on behalf of the USA in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and many other places around the world. If you have a Defense Base Act claim and you have not hired a Defense Base Act Lawyer or a workers compensation lawyer yet, then you need to know how you should deal with the Defense Base Act insurance adjuster.
Once you have a work injury you are at war with the insurance company. No matter how nice the workers compensation claims adjuster is to you - - at the end of the day, their job is to keep you from getting the medical benefits and money benefits you are entitled to under the law. However, just because you are war with the insurance company does not justify or permit you to be rude or short with the insurance adjuster.
You should be polite when dealing with the adjuster. Remember, at the end of the day, the insurance adjuster decides whether they are going to admit or deny your injuries and/or provide you benefits.
Just as your mother may have once said, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." It is the same with insurance adjusters. They usually have hundreds of files. They have files where they approve the benefits and files where they fight on every issue. Your job is to not give additional incentive to the adjuster to deny your benefits. Be polite. But remember, they are the enemy.
DO NOT TAKE LEGAL ADVICE FROM THE DEFENSE BASE ACT INSURANCE ADJUSTER! Their jobs is to save the insurance company money. Their job is not to help you. Don't be one of the hundreds of DBA claimants who don't receive all the benefits they deserve because they took their legal advice from the DBA insurance adjuster.
Don't be all gabby with the adjuster. Everything you say to the adjuster can and will be used against you in court.
Disclaimer
The foregoing Defense Base Act discussion is not legal advice. It is simplistic in order to achieve clarity. Your facts and circumstances may differ from those described herein. Always consult with a Defense Base Act Lawyer if you or a family member is seriously injured or killed while working aboard for a civilian contractor. Finally, your credibility is always at issue when your go to court to collect money. You must always tell the truth when you going to court to ask for money damages.