What do I need to know about the U.S. Department of Labor if I have a Defense Base Act claim?
If you have a Defense Base Act claim, you should know the lay of the land, so to speak.
"An insider’s view of Defense Base Act Law and the U.S. Department of Labor, with no sugar coating. No lawyer talk, no double talk. Ever."
The Department of Labor and DBA insurance companies
Administrative Law Judges and your credibility
Always tell the truth
“I’m telling the truth, so I’ll be good” and other famous last words
Don’t think for one minute that “I’m telling the truth, so I’ll be good.” The DBA insurance companies deny claims everyday of folks that are honest, with legitimate claims.
Whether you are telling the truth or not (and you certainly should be telling the truth); the truth is, “the truth” doesn’t matter to them. They are always trying to find “inconsistencies’ to use to attack your credibility and character.
Don't do anything until you read my book!!!
Before you do anything related to your DBA case - including, but not limited to - talking to the insurance adjuster, signing any forms (do not sign any forms, releases, etc.!!), giving a statement (don't give a statement!!!), going to your next medical appointment, attending an informal conference, attending a Labor Market Survey meeting, giving a deposition, attending a defense medical exam (also called an IME)... or anything else related to your DBA case - - you MUST first read my 5 Star book - Win Your Defense Base Act Case.
The Basics of the Department of Labor
Our job is to make the process of building your Defense Base Act case and filing your DBA claim as smooth and clear as possible. So we want to give you the basics of the Department of Labor, who is who you will be filing your DBA claims with. Knowing the basics; like who is in charge, where your local district office is, and contact info is going to be extremely helpful to you especially when you're just getting started with a DBA claim.
The following info is correct as of February 9, 2019. For more current info please check the Department of Labor official site. All of the "Insider Information" I gave you earlier in this article, is still spot on, though.
The Big Guys - Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (DLHWC) (remember the DBA is an extension of the Longshore Act)
The National Office
Director: Douglas C. Fitzgerald
Branch Chief of Financial Management, Insurance and Assessment: Tirzah Leiman-Carbia
Branch Chief of Policy, Regulations and Procedures: Kristina Hall
Contacting the National Office
Address:
U.S. Department of Labor OWCP/DLHWC
Frances Perkins Building, Room C-4319
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington DC 20210
Phone: (202) 354-9630
Fax: (202) 693-1380
Email: [email protected]
*If you are emailing the national office you WILL NOT to get a specific answer about your specific Defense Base Act claim. This email provides general information about the administration of the Longshore Act and all of it's extensions, which includes the DBA. If you have specific questions about your claim you will have to contact your District Office.
District Offices
This is where you will be filing your DBA claims. The districts offices are split up into 7 regions that are responsible for a different certain area of the world. Remember, even if you are not living in the U.S. or from the U.S. you can still file a DBA claim. Now these are not labeled as numbers 1-7, so don't get confused.
IMPORTANT: You have one year after your injury to file your DBA claim with the Department of Labor. These deadlines do matter. So try your best to stick to them. If you are past the one year point - you may still have a valid claim. See this article on the Defense Base Act statute of limitations (when you need to file you DBA claim).
Region I:
Assigned States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
DBA Jurisdiction: East of the 75th degree West Longitude, Newfoundland, and Greenland.
District Director: David B. Groeneveld
Regional Director: Zev Sapir
Address:
Longshore District Office #1, Boston
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
JFK Federal Building, Room E-260
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 624-6750
Fax: (617) 624-6603
Region II
Assigned States: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands
DBA Jurisdiction: Mexico, Central and South America (including coastal islands); areas East of the continents of North and South America up to the 60th degree East Longitude, (including Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran) and any other locations not covered by any other district office.
District Director: David Abeijon
Regional Director: Zev Sapir
Address:
Longshore District Office #2 New York
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/ DLHWC
201 Varick St. Room 740
Post Office Box 249
New York, NY 10014-0249
Phone: (646) 264-3010
Fax: (646) 264-3002
Region III (Norfolk Longshore District Office):
Assigned States: Virginia, West Virginia Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
District Director: Theresa Magyar
Regional Director: Kellianne Conaway
Address:
Longshore District Office 5, Norfolk
U.S. Department of LAbor
OWCP/DLHWC
Federal Building, Room 212
200 Granby Mall
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 441-3071
Fax: (757)441-6909
Region IV:
Assigned States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
District Director: Kristina Hall
Regional Director: Magdalena Fernandez
Central Mail Receipt Site (Address):
Longshore District Office 6, Jacksonville
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
Charles E. Bennett Federal Building
400 West Bay Street, Room 63A, Box 28
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Phone: (904) 357-4788
Fax: (904) 357-4787
Region VI (Offices in Dallas and New Orleans)
Dallas Office Assigned States: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas
New Orleans Office Assigned States: Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi
DBA Jurisdiction: Canada, West of the 75th degree and East of the 110th degree West Longitude
Dallas District Director: David Widener
Dallas/ New Orleans Regional Director: Dean W. Woodward
New Orleans District Director: David A. Duhon
Dallas Address:
Longshore District Office 8, Houston
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
Mickey Leland Federal Building
1919 Smith Street, Suite 870
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: (713) 65-4650
Fax: (713) 65-4651
New Orleans Address:
Longshore District 7, New Orleans
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
600 S. Maestri Pl.
Suit 617
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 589-2671
Fax: (504) 589-3969
Region IX (Offices in San Francisco, Honolulu and Long Beach)
San Francisco Office States Assigned: California (North of the Northern boundaries of the counties of San Luis Obispo, Kern and San Bernardino), Arizona and Nevada
Honolulu Office States Assigned: Hawaii
Honolulu Office DBA Jurisdiction: All areas West of the continents of North and South America (excluding coastal islands) to the 60 degree longitude (excluding Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan)
Long Beach Office States Assigned: California (South of the Northern boundaries of the counties of San Luis Obispo, Kern and San Bernardino)
San Francisco/ Honolulu District Director: R. Todd Bruininks
San Francisco/ Honolulu/ Long Beach Regional Director: Christy Long
Long Beach District Director: Marco Adame
San Francisco Address:
Longshore District Office 13, San Francisco
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
90 7th St. Suite 15100
San Francisco, CA 94103-6716
Phone: (808) 541-1983
Fax: (808) 541-1758
Honolulu Address:
Longshore District Office 15, Honolulu
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
300 Ala Moana Blvd. Room 5-135
Honolulu, HI 96850
Phone: (808) 541-1983
Fax: (808) 541-1758
Long Beach Address:
Longshore District Office 18, Long Beach
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/ DLHWC
501 W. Ocean Blvd. Suite 6230
Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone: (562) 980-3577
Fax: (562) 980-3587
Region X
States Assigned: Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming,
DBA Jurisdiction: Canada, West of the 110th degree West Longitude and all areas in the Pacific Ocean North of the 45th degree North Latitude
District Director: R. Todd Bruininks
Regional Director: Christy Long
Address:
Longshore District Office 14, Seattle
U.S. Department of Labor
OWCP/DLHWC
300 5th Ave, Suite 1050L
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 504-5287
Fax: (206) 467-1074
It is important to be prepared for all aspects of your DBA case including dealing with the Department of Labor. I would recommend you order my book, "Win Your Defense Base Act Case", here for FREE. It is the easiest guide book on all things related to the DBA legal system and will give you the info you need to succeed in court.
There is also the Turley Law Firm website, which is a great resource for all things DBA. Here you will find out everything from how to deal with insurance company adjusters to what evidence you are going to need to win your case.
If you have any questions about the Department of Labor contact us first. You'll find more straight forward answers and exact instructions for your Defense Base Act claim.
Call us today at 619-304-1000
Need help right now?
Call us at 619-304-1000 - If you call after regular business hours, when you leave a message, be sure to repeat your name and telephone number twice, so we get it correctly. And be sure to indicate whether it's okay if we respond by text.
Text us at 858-281-8008 - Be sure and put "new DBA case" in your text.
Or you can leave us a message on this web page.
This article isn't legal advice
These discussions and/or examples are not legal advice. All legal situations are different. These testimonials, endorsements, photos and/or discussions do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter, or your particular case/ situation. Every case is different. There are any number of reasons why DBA cases are not won and/or are not as successful folks might have hoped for.
Just because we have gotten great results in so many other Defense Base Act cases, doesn't guarantee in particular result in other cases. Including, your DBA case. Every case is different.
