What Is the Jones Act? The Jones Act is a federal statute enacted to impart special rights to seamen injured in the performance of their jobs in navigable waters — whether at sea, on the river, or at port. Those rights include:

• Maintenance — Your employer must pay weekly wages and reasonable living expenses (rent, utilities, transportation, food) for the period that you are unable to work because of a duty-related injury.
• Cure — You are entitled to free medical care until you are cleared to resume work or until you reach maximum medical improvement.
• Monetary damages — Unlike land-based workers, seamen can sue their employers directly for negligence, for ordering them into dangerous situations without appropriate safety measures or for hazardous conditions aboard ship (unseaworthiness) that contributed to injury. The Pascoe Law Firm can help maritime workers recover compensation for future medical care, projected earnings, permanent disability, and pain and suffering.
• Death benefits — The spouse and dependent children of a seaman killed on duty are entitled to monthly benefits or a settlement for lost income and personal loss.
• Longshoremen Injuries — Dock workers and shipyard employees who do not qualify as seamen are covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA), which provides medical, wage and permanent disability benefits similar to workers’ compensation, but at substantially better rates.