Maintenance refers to the basic expenses that a seaman incurs. For example, food, rent and utilities would all fall under the category of maintenance. There are no legal guidelines that determine a set amount that must be paid to seamen in order to cover necessities. The rates for maintenance tend to be very low, and most people only receive about $15 to $30 a day. Expenses incurred by family members are not taken into consideration.
Cure refers to all expenses related to the medical treatment of the injury or illness. This compensation must cover initial and ongoing expenses that are related to the injury or illness that occurred at sea. Cure coverage pays for emergency medical treatment, surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy and hospital stays. Some seamen are even eligible to recover incidental costs such as transportation costs incurred to get to and from a hospital.
The benefit of filing for maintenance and cure is that this compensation is not tied to negligence claims. Injuries that are not related to the negligence of another party are still covered by maintenance and cure, and seamen are even allowed to collect under this legal remedy if they are responsible for their own injuries.