Do you lose health insurance and your benefits if you file a claim under the Jones Act? Can your company stop paying your health insurance if you file a Jones Act claim?

Will your company drop your benefits after a maritime injury accident? A lot of our clients will ask I have health insurance is my company going to drop my health insurance now that I’ve had an injury at work. A lot of times our clients are out of work for months at a time and they’re concerned that they’re going to lose their health insurance benefits or their family benefits. The answer is no.

Your company will not necessarily drop your health insurance just because you have a work-related accident and you’re off of work. In order for a company to drop health insurance benefits for an employee there has to be what’s called a triggering event. This type of event usually means that you’re being terminated by the company. Very often companies are scared or they’re worried to terminate an employee who has an injury. What happens most of the time is the company simply carries on the payroll, they pay your workers’ compensation or maintenance benefits and they wait to see whether the doctor is ultimately going to release you to go back to work. So most of the time your company is not going to stop your health insurance benefits for you or your family just because you have a maritime injury.

Call us if you have any questions about your rights or choices under the Jones Act or under maritime law.