Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Blog | Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis LLP

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has released a report which details numerous concerns related to federal employees deployed in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. The report points out that because the goal of the Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction and stabilization efforts require what it terms a "whole of government" approach, with civilian personnel from all 15 federal civilian agencies, as well as representatives from state and local governments serving in the role of "experts."

However, the HASC report states that, although the government has deployed over 2000 civilians into the field, it has not prepared for the ramifications of that deployment, including preparing the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) for the influx of injuries of a type that it has not previously handled. The workers' compensation program, they point out, is not prepared to handle either the number of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) it is likely to see in the aftermath of the deployment.

Other areas of concern the report identified included access to medical care for civilian employees while deployed, and the ability to properly compensate federal employees deployed to the war zone.

The concern shows that no matter where your worksite is, if you are injured on the job, you are entitled to workers' compensation. For help obtaining the benefits you are due, please contact the workers' compensation attorneys at Pomerantz, Perlberger, and Lewis, LLP today.