American Contractors in Iraq "Although it is infrequently mentioned, and it is often unfashionable to say, the truth about most private military and security contractors is that they are mostly regular folks trying to make a living doing often difficult jobs in frequently chaotic and dangerous conditions. Yes, many of them are military veterans but they are certainly not mercenaries in any meaningful sense of the word. But often they do have one thing in common with regular military personnel, namely, they frequently get screwed over." by David Isenberg visit his blog at Huff Post and The PMSC Observer www.americancontractorsiniraq.com Overseas Civilian Contractor Jobs Jobs Iraq Jobs Afghanistan About Us Contact Us Marcie Hascall Clark junglem@yahoo.com Navigate this Website AIG WAR Bookstore Cancer from the War Zones Contractor News Defense Base Act Resources Defense Base Act DBA Attorneys Lawyers DME Doctors Doctors who work for insurance companies Independent Medical Examinations Is your Attorney/Lawyer working in your best interest? Congressional Hearings Oversight and Domestic Policy KBR Halliburton Memorials PTSD Private Investigator turned third party medical provider for AIG Toxic Exposures Traumatic Brain Injury Truth to Power Veterans Issues Videos Whistleblower Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection False Claims Act McCaskill Amendment X Files Our Other Websites Contractor Casualties Continued here Defense Base Act Workman's Compensation A guide for the Employee Tax Information for Overseas Contractors License to Kill The DBA's Exclusive Remedy The Iraq Infections Acinetobacter, Leishmaniasis and more Acinetobacter baumannii ERW Consulting Recommended Sites ProPublica Contractor Misconduct EPI Medical News and Expose Iraq Coalition Casualty Count Navy SEAL Memorials SIGIR SIGAR LHWCA.pdf List of Contractors killed in Afghanistan List of Contractors killed in Iraq USACE agreement with CNA for DBA IG US DoD Healthcare provided by military to contractors in Southwest Asia Wartime Contracting Commission Veterans Today Veterans for Common Sense Department of Defense Contract Awards at Defpro Contractor Status Updated July 11, 2007 Background, Legal status, and Other issues READ HERE News Archives Time Line- shows medical criminal neglect U.S. Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges (over 600 cases) Halliburton's Subsidaries (subsidiary - an assistant subject to the authority or control of another) Doing Business With The Enemy Are U.S. Firms Doing Business In Nations That Support Terrorism? Iraq Contracting: Whistleblowers and KBR ExecutivesTell Their Side of the Story Halliburton FAKE offices in the Caymans? Tangiers International joins forces with AIG (whats the real reason? AIG advises injured contractors to hire an Attorney The Politics of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Therapists Aid War-Stressed Families Wrongful death or injury suits may be brought in any of the 50 states, and overseas employees of American contractors Veteran Suicide Epidemic = 120 Vets per week! *** WARNING Iraq Infections COMING SOON... TO A HOSPITAL NEAR YOU Acinetobacter baumannii Iraqibacter Contractor loses leg to preventable infection Paula Loyd dies from infection "We thought she was going to be OK," Roberts said. "But then the infection, and the pneumonia. It was a shock." Baghdad Boil Leishmania is a very variable bug, There still is much we do not know about it. Very few people in this country have any reason to know anything about it, whether they be MD's or whatever. Persistant skin rashes, blistery rashes on the scalp, sores or wounds that do not heal should all be considered for leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis from Iraq and Afghanistan The Baghdad Hack Defense Base Act DBA Attorneys DBA Lawyers These Attorneys have proven track records and will serve as your advocate only Scott Bloch William Skepnek www.scottblochlaw.com Deceptive Defense Doctors by Dorothy Clay Sims When DMEs Selectively Report Test Results Defense doctors often pick and choose which test results to include in their reports, slanting the report in favor of the defense... read more here Dorothy Clay Sims takes on Florida's Dr G and wins DBA Waste FRAUD & Abuse PRIORITY 8 VETS- ( A REALITY TO CONTRACTOR'S FAMILIES- KBR Family Video *** A Must See*** Also read.... Cross Examining the Psychiatric Expert Dorothy C. Simms, Esq. Ocala, Florida San Francisco Giants for them in 1984 as a September call-up and quickly entrenched himself as their starting third baseman. In his first full season in 1985, Brown batted .261 with 16 home runs and 61 runs batted in for the last-place Giants, made the All-Rookie team, and finished 4th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting (Vince Coleman of the St. Louis Cardinals won the award by unanimous vote); Brown also led the NL in times being hit by pitch (11). In 1986, Brown batted .317 and made the NL All-Star team after hitting nearly .350 in the season's first half. Life after baseball Chris Brown lived in Houston, Texas with his wife Lisa and their two children, Paris and Chris Jr. Brown, after retirement. In 2004, Brown worked in Iraq driving an 18-wheel truck delivering diesel fuel for Halliburton. He took fire on numerous occasions, including in a convoy that was attacked on April 9, 2004, in which six Halliburton drivers and one soldier were killed and another driver kidnapped and later released.[1] By 2006, Brown had returned to the United States. Brown died at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston on December 26, 2006, nearly a month after he suffered burns in a fire on November 30 at a vacant house he owned in Sugar Land, Texas. He was 45 years of age. Police have never determined if his death was a homicide, suicide, or an accident. FisTort Claim http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/06 /06-20915-CV0.wpd.pdf All Malingering Articles concerning the FBS & MMPI-2 EXHIBITS TO DETERMINE IF THE METHODOLOGY is “SCIENTIFICALLY ACCEPTED” Your Independent Medical Evaluation "Insurance Company Tactics Now Off the Scale" A must read for PTSD Suffers! How to Test How to Prove Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Anxiety Disorders Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act Handbook 2008 Edition and a newer edition We call it How to Screw the Modern Day Defense Base Act Casualty Roger A. Levy Editor-in-Chief When you see this book being promoted you need to be suspect of the persons or websites motives Promoted by your Department of Labor (This year it's $60) It doesn't matter how severely injured the contractor is, the trick is to find every little loop hole you can to deny them benefits Is that what the Department of Labor thinks the DBA is all about? "FBS (FAKE BAD SCALE") Test for Fingering Malingerers Comes Under Fire The Defense Base Act (DBA): The Federally Mandated Workers' Compensation System for Overseas Government Contractors, September 15, 2008 "The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held hearings in 2008 on the DBA. Current DOD DBA policies have also been criticized by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Army's own auditors. " House Hearing, "Are Tax Payers Paying Too Much" Waxman May 2008. Statement by Shelby Hallmark If you were injured prior to 2006, you are exempt from meeting the "TIME REQUIREMENTS" for being out of the country 330 days.! THE United States Tax Court ordered that no income TAX or penalties are due for 2004, under provision IRC, 662 (a) Form 2555 - IRS form , (was revised 2006) "U.S. Targets Overseas Bribery; KBR Exec’s Plea Widens Probe"- CSR report 2008 Defense Base Act Contingency Operations Established in 1941, the Defense Base Act (DBA) provides the equivalent of workers' compensation for civilian contractors working in contingency operations in overseas countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. "As designated by the Secretary of Defense, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq are both contingency operations.” [1] The Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR) 2.101 defines a Contingency Operation (10 U. S.C. 101(a) (13)) to be a military operation that: "(1) Is designated by the Secretary of Defense as an operation in which members of the armed forces are or may become involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against an enemy of the United States or against an opposing military force; or (2) Results in the call or order to, or retention on, active duty of members of the uniformed services under section 688, 12301(a), 12302, 12304, 12305, or 12406 of 10 U.S.C., Chapter 15 of 10 U.S.C, or any other provision of law during a war or during a national emergency declared by the President or Congress." [2] LS_203_Employee Notice_of_Claim.pdf DBAhearing.html Racketeering and Comp When the Denial of an Injury is an Injury The Labor Department has failed to crack down on one of the agency’s fastest growing and most expensive programs Injured Abroad, Neglected at Home Labor Dept Slow to Help War Zone Contractors by T Christian Miller Texas District Court Rules Iraq War Not Life Threatening For AIG's Man in Jordan, War becomes a business opportunity Foreign Interpreters Hurt in Battle Find US Insurance Benefits Wanting Lost in LImbo Injured Afghan Translators Struggle to Survive Study Proposes Overhaul of Defense Base Act to Cover Care for Injured Contractors by T.Christian Miller After Injury, the Battle Begins: Evaluating Workers’ Compensation for Civilian Contractors in War Zones Video Link here This link has been removed and we are awaiting a response David W. Laconte killed by Roadside Bomb in Afghanistan Retired US Navy SEAL from Va Beach Civilian Contractor Toll in Iraq and Afghanistan Ignored by Defense Dept. by T Miller Contractors in Iraq to be subject to American Law E-mails show KBR feared causalties before deadly attack SENATE DPC HEARING WILL EXAMINE FAILURE TO PROTECT U.S. TROOPS FROM HEALTH IMPACT OF BURN PITS IN IRAQ Senator Byrom Dorgan Receives Response From DOD IG DOD INSPECTOR GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE ARMY’S RESPONSE TO EXPOSURE OF U.S. TROOPS TO DEADLY CHEMICAL IN IRAQ Unappreciated Patriots Contractors in Iraq are Hidden Casualties of War Congressman Elijah Cummings Announces Plan to Reform US System to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors By T. Christian Miller Propublica Afghanistan Contractors Outnumber Troops Contractor Electrocuted in Shower in Iraq Contractor Shot Dead on Base in Iraq Lucas Vinson, KBR Employee shot dead by US Soldier British and Australian Contractors Killed in Iraq British ArmorGroup Contractor Shoots Two Colleagues in Iraq Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder Tangiers International and the Department of Labor? Happy Anniversary Merlin Clark Blown up in Iraq Six Years Ago Today (July 7, 2003) Still Getting Screwed Over by CNA DoDIG Blames System Failure in KBR Death of Ryan Maseth Fluor Removes Internet Access from Mid East Servers 16 killed as civilian helicopter crashes at Afghan base Sonny Hinchman killed in Iraq Blackwater XE Former KBR Employee (David Breda) Arrested For Raping A Woman CNA Claims Adjusters Risk Management without the Risk “Something cruel, heartless and cynical took place in the back rooms of carriers with responsibility for civilian claims. If you like Edgar Alan Poe, you’ll love the claims files of AIG and CNA.” These are the eyes behind the claims numbers of the Modern Day DBA Casualty It's a look you recognize when you've been there The Lives behind these eyes are the ones you've cast aside CNA Should this family have had to lose their home their credit too ? How CNA treats foreign claimants Note: Daniel has now lost his family too For more on Stellie and Daniels story go to South African Contractors in Iraq Foreign Workers for US are Casualties Twice Over Insurance experts said the numbers suggest that many wounded foreigners never apply for benefits, even though U.S. taxpayers have paid more than $1.5 billion in premiums for the war-zone insurance. Broad Agreement that Workmans Comp Program for War Zone Workers Needs Fixing by T. Christian Miller Daniel Brink, a South African, applied to Chicago-based insurer CNA for his medical benefits but said CNA declined some benefits owed to him. (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times) Congressional hearings generally follow a script. Lawmakers publicly vent their outrage, administration officials offer plausible defenses, and the outcome is inconclusive. But last week's airing of complaints about the government's system for taking care of civilian workers injured or killed while on the job in Iraq and Afghanistan was notable for its unanimity. AIG in Iraq: A cruel way to make a buck AIG may not know diddly about the risk in risky financial vehicles, but they certainly know how to make money in conventional comp insurance. Of course, it helps that the injured workers are so invisible, like obscure figures in a desert sand storm, struggling blindly to find some kind of shelter in a harsh and unsympathetic world. Dropping the DBA Ball Is it any wonder AIG and CNA get away with murder? Remember them too Don't Contractors Count When We Calculate the Costs of War? Despite the light that Memorial Day will shine, briefly, on the U.S. death tolls in Iraq and Afghanistan, don't expect an accurate accounting of the real human cost of our military actions abroad. The numbers you'll see -- mostly likely just under 5,000 fatalities -- won't tell the whole story. read the whole story here AIG Faces Hearing on Denial of Medical Claims by Contractors Injured in Iraq and Afghanistan Rep. Dennis Kucinich [1], D-Ohio, announced [2] today that a panel of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform [3] will hold hearings on June 18 to examine whether AIG and other major insurance carriers have inappropriately denied medical claims of contractors injured on the job in Iraq and Afghanistan. Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan At WHAT Cost? Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan Interim Report J U N E 2 0 0 9 Commission on Wartime Contracting: Interim Findings and Path Forward" House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs Wednesday June 10 Iraqi Judge releases American Contractors Iraq says four US Contractors detained not five Five US Contractors held in slaying of Jim Kitterman CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN USCENTCOM AOR, IRAQ, AND AFGHANISTAN Operational Contract Support, "State of the Union" — May 2009 Roadside Bomb Kills Three Americans in Iraq IRAQ: Leishmaniasis appears in southern province If your working in Iraq remember it's sandfly season Pentagon’s IG to Examine AIG Insurance Provided to Private Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan The Defense Department's inspector general is preparing a possible audit to examine allegations that inadequate oversight by federal officials allowed AIG and other major carriers to deny medical benefits due civilian contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Suicide from PTSD not compensible When PTSD Comes Marching Home War scarred contractors battle red tape In fighting claims, the insurance companies have relied on doctors with questionable expertise, according to court records and claimants' attorneys. Civilian workers in Iraq suffering combat trauma No one has studied the effects of wartime trauma on civilian contractors working in Iraq, but experts say war affects contractors no differently than it affects troops Don Ayala Gets probation Military security contractor Don Ayala and social scientist Paula Loyd in Afghanistan. Kucinich Asks AIG Why It’s Denying Claims From Injured Contractors in Iraq Military Fails to Collect from AIG for Care to injured contractors by T Christian Miller Propublica WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has failed to bill American Insurance Group and other major insurance carriers for millions of dollars in medical care provided to private contractors injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new federal report [1] (PDF). The United States hired hundreds of thousands of civilians to work in the two war zones. When injured on the job, their medical care is supposed to be paid for by private insurance companies, primarily AIG. Contractors Using Military Clinics Civilians Also Are Not Paying, Audit Says KBR has blocked MsSparky from their servers Nine new lawsuits filed against KBR Could it be true CNA is worse than AIG? Injured War Zone Contractors Fight AIG and CNA to get care on Democracy Now Amy Goodman with T Christian Miller, John Woodson, Keith Smith Idol read transcript here Britian honors it's civilian contractors too With equal solemnity, it concluded with M.A.M Usman, a civilian contractor killed in a rocket attack on March 9. Cummings Requests Congressional Hearing on AIG Denying Claims for Civilians Injured in Iraq, Afghanistan Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter (text below) to Domestic Policy Subcommittee Chairman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) requesting a hearing to examine a recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times, ABC News, and ProPublica. According to the investigation, AIG and other insurance companies have been unnecessarily denying and prolonging serious health insurance claims of civilian contractors who were injured or killed while participating in U.S. combat activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The men and women who sacrifice their lives to protect our nation on the battlefield should be able to return to their families without having to wage another battle here at home to receive the health care they are more than entitled to receive,” Congressman Cummings said. “I was absolutely disgusted to read about the atrocities that individuals are being forced to endure as they attempt to get treatment for the injuries they received while serving our country.” Read full story here Labor Department Enforcement Lacking, Report Finds Craig Fuller 33 was killed, along with a civilian Afghan leader of his team in a roadside firefight. Jeff Hermey, another Lee County man, was injured by shrapnel KBR’s own Memos Undermine Defense-Good Friday Massacre Dyncorp Faces State Department Probe Following Death Preston Wheeler Ambush Video and others you got it here first ! Civilian Workers in Iraq suffering Combat Trauma Injured War Zone Contractors Fight to Get Care From AIG and Other Insurers AIG Pampers Execs, Denies Claims of Contractors Injured in Iraq Blind Amputee Has to Fight AIG for New Plastic Leg, Wheelchair While Executives Get Bonuses, John Woodson Gets "Cheapest They Could Get Away With" Pentagon Curbs Use of Hexavalant Chromium Escalating health concerns prompt virtual ban of chemical, often called sodium dichromate. What are the motives to misdiagnose PTSD? The truth might rest in math. "I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD" A secret recording reveals the Army may be pushing its medical staff not to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. The Army and Senate have ignored the implications. "he also received pressure not to properly diagnose traumatic brain injury" Tales of the secret Army tape After a soldier taped a psychologist saying he'd been pressured not to diagnose PTSD, the Army launched an investigation. Read the details of how the Army declared itself innocent. Reducing Contractors Numbers: Is it possible? Republican Governor's Association and Halliburton Kellogg Brown Root VA SAYS NO PRESUMPTIVES FOR HOST OF ILLNESSES AFFLICTING GULF WAR VETS Traumatic Brain Injury and the DBA Brain Injuries go undiagnosed in contractors CNA and AIG refuse to pay for screening Report to Congress Urges Accelerated Efforts to Create Breakthroughs on Traumatic Brain Injury Better Brain Trauma testing called for in Iraq Traumatic Brain Injury page Brain Injured Troops Face Unclear Long Term Risks Was your cancer caused by toxic exposures in Iraq? Were you exposed to Depleted Uranium, Hexavalent Chromium, Sodium Dicromate, TCE Trichloroethylene, or BURN PITS in Iraq? Oregon's Own Toxicologist Points Out Toxicity of Hexavalent Chromium "greatly increases the risk of lung cancer" KBR Work Presents 'Security Risk' Pinoy carpenter killed, another injured in Afghanistan mortar attack AIG: Failure's Fat Rewards New Day for OSHA? KBR keeps witness info concealed Department Of Defense Latest Contracts Who got AIG's bailout billions? Pentagon knowingly exposed troops to to cancer causing chemicals KBR Whistleblower on Rachel Maddow Justin Pope Dyncorp Killed in Iraq Update Justin Pope killed by accidental gunshot wound Tampa Contractor Killed in Afghanistan Santos Cardona was on a patrol early Saturday morning. There had been many roadside bombs in the past few days, and "they wanted him to go out with his dog. The explosion split the Humvee he was in, and it landed on top of him. He was killed instantly." Cardona was a contractor with American Canine, a Florida-based contracting company. The 34-year old had been working with a bomb dog since November 2008 A drawdown of contractors in Iraq The reduction of civilian contractors in Iraq, ordered by Gen. Ray Odierno, will pose challenges as troop reductions are carried out. Outsourcing Peacekeeping Blast kills contractor in Afghanistan AIG in talks with Feds over another bailout? How about bailing out the injured contractors that they refuse to provide benefits for? Contractor Numbers as of Dec 31 st CNA refuses to approve TBI screening for Bomb Blast Victim He needs to provide them with medical evidence that he has TBI so he can be tested for TBI Walter Reed intentionally did not test for this when he was there being put back together DOD avoided TBI Screening ALJ William Dorsey Deals Blow to Blackwater Families Blackwater misrepresents their employees as contractors so they don't have to pay taxes but they magically become employees so the taxpayer has to pay for their Defense Base Act insurance This insurance for PSC's runs 50% and more of their yearly salary Isn't this either tax evasion or fraud? read here and here misrepresenting the employee as a contractor Blackwater Dodges Taxes Job Openings for Security Iraq SR PM for Afghanistan Civilian Surge a preliminary report Pentagon Boosts Spending on PR In the process, it is raising concerns of spreading propaganda at home in violation of federal law. Houston Lawsuit blames Halliburton, KBR in Iraq Death Kristen Martin alleges wrongful death, fraud and conspiracy regarding the February 2007 shooting of her father, Donald Tolfree. Halliburtons Army: How a well connected Texas Oil Company Revolutionized the Way America Makes War Hard Lessons The Iraq Reconstruction Experience Download here The Hidden Casualties of War Tangiers International LLC of Louisianna has an agreement with the ?? Department of Labor ?? Tangiers has since changed their statement regarding their relationship with the DoL Tangiers and your rights under the DBA Pentagon letter undercuts DOJ in Blackwater case Sailor Electrocuted WASHINGTON (AP) — A third U.S. service member has been determined to have been electrocuted in a shower in Iraq KBR Awarded Convoy Support Center in Iraq Contract and YES it does involve electrical work Army Report: Negligence by KBR Caused Soldiers Electrocution An Army investigation calls the electrocution death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq "negligent homicide" caused by military contractor KBR Inc. The Department of Labor sets up PTSD TBI Website for Veterans America's Heroes at Work At the same time they are allowing AIG and CNA to deny medical, psychiatric, and disability payments to the Contractors, most of whom are Veterans, with the same diagnoses' from the same Wars Secretary Chao has set back decades of progress at the Department of Labor by stonewalling investigations, embracing corporate special interests, and showing general contempt for working families. Lets hope that under incoming Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis the Department of Labor will properly oversee the implementation of the Defense Base Act in the spirit in which it was written, not how it is being "interpreted". Defense Department Establishes Civilian Expeditionary Workforce WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is forming a civilian expeditionary workforce that will be trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide, according to department officials. Daylight hits Covert NLV Airline Vision Air is being sued by employees who say the company withheld millions in government hazard pay they earned for flying into war zones. The government requires contractors and subcontractors to swear in affidavits that the hazard pay is given to the employees who earned it. Where are the future markets for Private Security Contractors? Bleeding Heart Humanitarian Contractors :) Like them or hate them, we still need private security contractors Iraq Won't Grant Blackwater a License Why Contractor Fatalities Matter In the Line of Fire “It was the contractors’ war,” Fainaru writes. “Not just the [mercenaries] but the janitors and the cooks, the bean counters and the bomb-disposal experts. “The government didn’t even have the decency to count them, maybe because if it did, all the basic barometers that the Pentagon had been using to measure how the war was going — troop levels, number and frequency of attacks, and especially, casualties — would have gone straight out the window. The mercs didn’t die or get wounded or engage in combat in Iraq. They were like cardboard soldiers.” Happy New Year Greatest Hits of 2008 Bullshit as Science The Fake Bad Scale The AIG Saga: Farewell My (Not-So) Lovely? How AIG was allowed to borrow the money put aside for your claims Contractors vs employees: KBR and Blackwater shell games Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Not in This Army! Independent Contractor or Employee? and here Thank you Workman's Comp Insider for these and more here KBR seeks to blame US Army, Insurgents for Iraq Convoy Deaths Oregon Troops Exposed to Toxic Chemicals by KBR contractors The Unreported Death of Staff Sgt Paula Loyd of the Human Terrain System Paula Loyd died from infection at Brooke Army Medical Center Don Michael Ayala Third 'Human Terrain' Researcher Dead AIG faced workmans comp audit in 2005 Gear up EOD Contractors US Pullout from Iraq to hit private contactors AIG, the DBA, and Iraqi Interpreters Shell companies in Cayman Islands allow KBR to avoid Medicare, Social Security deductions-Boston Globe Injured contractors sometimes caught in legal wrangle for disability compensation-MEDILL REPORTS WASHINGTON,by Mrinalini Reddy Back from Iraq, contractors in U.S. face combat-related stress NY Times- Bush’s Private Armies Suffering Breakdowns For war zone workers, a new fight Some US firms deny injury claims Boston Globe-Jan-07 Civilian Casualties from Iraq: Caring for the Forgotten Wounded Silent surge in contractor 'armies' From the July 18, 2007 edition -csmoniter American Contractors in Iraq Face Risks New York Times July 16,2007 The Contractor's Fight at Home- David Phinney Contractors Back From Iraq Suffer Trauma From Battle Overseas Contractors Seek Support Back Home Thursday, June 14th, 2007 'War, Red Tape Haunt Civilian Workers.' L.A,. Times-T. Miller Overseas Contractors Seek Support Back Home,Thurs, June 14, 2007 Iraq: Blood, Sweat and Tears at New U.S. Embassy Thurs., June 14, 2007 Gimme Shelter-Some Iraq veterans are returning home, only to face homelessness and mental problems. Meanwhile, the VA is MIA. US CONTRACTORS FACE PERIL, NEGLECT , Boston Globe Contractor Families Network at Home- Fox News Building Support Ohio mom wants Iraq contractors honored The Contractor's Fight at Home US: The battle scars of a private war , LA Times 2007 A crusader for civilian casualties Nearly 800 Contractors Killed in Iraq John, Don't Surrender, Daivd Pinney Iraq Contractors Convene in TN. Iraq Wounded Fight for Insurance Coverage (SF) Civilian workers in Iraq suffering combat trauma Two truckers return from Iraq disillusioned , E Trucker 2007 A 'Clara Barton' of the Web for Civilian Contractors Injured in Iraq Contractors Wounded in Iraq Meet for Support Marines Jail Contractors in Iraq More than 500 Contractor Deaths in Iraq? On the Wrong Side of 'Friendly Fire'- CorpWatch by David Phinney Contractors In Iraq Are Targets For Attack Census Counts 100,000 Contractors in Iraq, Civilian Number, Duties Are Issues IRAQ: Security Contractor Detained- Corp Watch Thoughts on War Contractors CANCER Soldiers and civilians who are currently working in or have previously worked in the war zones are developing cancers at an alarming rate Will the DBA cover your cancer? Toxins take toll War Zone Cancer Registry BLOGROLL Anthrax Vaccine Feral Jundi Danger Room PMC PSC Injured Workers Forum David Isenberg The PMSC Observer The Rough Cut MsSparky Behind Blue Bars Your Emergency Plan Death Valley Magazine Knights of Afghanistan Security Contracting Stormbringer The DBA X FILES Unravelling the mysteries of the abducted PTSD cases Where you'll find the MOST BIZARRE decisions by ALJ's & diagnoses by DME's Case by case analysis A poorly run Pentagon program for providing workman's compensation for civilian taxpayers, a House oversight committee said Thursday. Insurance companies alone have pocketed $600 million in excessive profits over the past five years, says a staff report from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, but the Defense Department refuses to adjust its approach for managing the program. According to the committee, the Pentagon allows its contractors to negotiate their own insurance contracts. By contrast, the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Army Corps of Engineers have all selected a single insurance carrier to provide the insurance at fixed rates. "What makes the situation even worse is the people this program is supposed to benefit - the injured employees working for contractors - have to fight the insurance companies to get their benefits," committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said at a hearing Thursday. "Delays and denials in paying claims are the rule." KBR Inc., one of the largest defense contractors in Iraq, paid the insurance giant AIG $284 million for medical and disability coverage under the Defense Base Act, a reference to the federal law mandating the insurance. Due to the way KBR's contract is structured, this premium, along with an $8 million markup for KBR, gets billed to the taxpayer. "Out of this amount, just $73 million actually goes to injured contractors, and AIG and KBR pocket over $100 million as profit," Waxman said. Full Story READ NOW! AIG WAR Disposable Army Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan T Christian Miller CIVILIAN TOLL Dead: 3,258 Injured: 89,182 Unknown: 1,101 Source: Labor Department, Dec 31, 2012. Figures reflect number of Defense Base Act claims filed on Civilian Contractors of all nationalities reported injured or dead in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. 93,566 Defense Base Act Claims filed since Sept 30, 2001 Reminder to Contractors Regarding Iraqi Jurisdiction Company That Probes War Contractor Injuries for AIG Is Itself Under Scrutiny by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica Tangiers Medical We'll amputate your leg, give AIG or CNA your disability rating, and spy on you and your family when we get you home Conflict of Interest A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. South African Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan The War Inside Your Head Could a little screening by ArmorGroup have prevented this? YES Danny Fitzsimons was diagnosed with PTSD Briton facing death penalty in Iraq ’suffering from stress’ Commentary by T.Christian Miller In Sundays Washington Post Sometimes It's Not Your War, But You Sacrifice Anyway These workers have been wounded like soldiers. They have died like soldiers. Honoring Veterans of thE Disposable Army by T Christian Miller Defense Base Act Compensation Blog Need to know DBA claims information for injured contractors Civilian Contractors Blog International News and Views for the Overseas Civilian Contractor Blackwater and the Khost Bombing Is the CIA deceiving Congress? 9 Die in CIA Facility in Afghanistan Blast Dane Clark Paresi, Xe Contractor, Killed in CIA bombing Khost Former Navy SEAL, Jeremy Wise, from VA Beach killed in Khost suicide bombing Harold Brown Jr, State Dept contractor?, killed in blast Scott Michael Roberson killed in suicide bombing at CIA Post MS Sparky Keeping you plugged in Top Ten Worst DBA Offenses of 2009 If your an injured contractor you'll want to read these If your not injured, your just a bomb away Iraq confiscates arms in private security crackdown US Judge Dismisses Charges in Blackwater Iraq Killings Danny Fitzsimons and the Blackwater Backlash Alarming Pattern in DBA PTSD/TBI claims Texas District Court Rules Iraq War not Life Threatening Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Avoids Interviews and Meetings with Contractor Groups The Labor Department, which runs the system, required by a law known as the Defense Base Act, has exercised little oversight over the treatment provided to foreign workers. Despite promises to better enforce labor laws and widespread agreement that the contractor health care system is costly and ineffective, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has largely avoided interviews and meetings with contractor groups seeking to reform the system. Our Articles on Wounded Iraq and Afghan Interpreters Now in Arabic by T.Christian Miller Pentagon Identifies Abducted Contractor Issa T Salomi, 60, went missing on Jan. 23 in Baghdad. He was working with the U.S. Forces as a civilian employee, according to the Department of Defense. Rep John Murtha succumbs to infection acquired at National Naval Medical Center Bethesda 2 Ex-employees say Blackwater Billed Government for Prostitute Justice Department refuses to investigate read here Spc Beyshee Velelez suffering from psychotic episode when he killed Lucas Trent Vinson War Contractors Receive Defense of Freedom Medal for Injuries, But Attract Little Notice T Christian Miller The Other Victims of Battlefield Stress by T Christian Miller No agency tracks how many civilian workers have killed themselves after returning from the war zones. A small study in 2007 found that 24 percent of contract employees from DynCorp, a defense contractor, showed signs of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after returning home. The figure is roughly equivalent to those found in studies of returning soldiers. On the one-year anniversary of her husband’s suicide, Barb Dill breaks down at her husband’s tombstone. Wade Dill, a Marine Corps veteran, took a contractor job in Iraq. Three weeks after he returned home for good, he committed suicide Birgitt Eysselinck has spent years trying to prove that her husband's death in Iraq was related to stress from his job with a company specializing in the removal of land mines and explosive ordnance. So far, courts have sided with the insurance firm, Chicago-based CNA, in denying Eysselinck's claim. Eysselinck, 44, said that neither federal judges nor insurance adjusters understand that civilian contractors face many of the same risks in Iraq and Afghanistan that soldiers do. Her husband, Tim Eysselinck, endured mortar attacks and frequently traveled across Iraq's dangerous highways. Three-year-old Thyra helps to “plant roses” at her father’s burial in Namibia, sprinkling sand from a little spade onto roses as they are tossed into the grave. KBR awarded $2.3B LOGCAP IV task order in Iraq after poor performance evaluation Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan Contingency and War Zone Operations Peacekeeping Operations Injured or Family Member Killed Working Overseas on a US Gov Funded Contract? Call The Law office of Scott J Bloch here Never hire a DBA Attorney who wants you to pay them out of your settlement Weltin, Streb, and Weltin website here Jobs Afghanistan Jobs Iraq Overseas Civilian Contractor Jobs Private Security Contractor Jobs How to get a job as a civilian contractor Danger Zone Jobs UPDATED 2013 Tax Info for Contractors Working Overseas Texas District Court Rules Iraq War not LIfe Threatening Facebook Causes and Support Groups Marlo's Injured Contractor Cause The Wars Come Home Families and Friends of Deployed Civilian Contractors Burn Pit Industry Organizations IPOA International Peace Operations Association !! Junket Time !! Loyola Annual Longshore Harborworkers Conference 2010 The Department of Labor Sponsors conference heavily biased for the Insurance Companies Casualties not Counted Tim Eyesslinck "There is a huge percentage of contractors who are silently suffering," Eysselinck said. "That obviously puts them and their families at risk. Communities are bearing the brunt of this, especially the families." Back from Iraq Injured War Zone Workers Fight Insurance Giants AIG and CNA Face Financial Ruin Casualties not Counted Wade Dill Colonel to Admit Role in Iraq War Corruption U.S. Army Veteran Is Accused of Taking More Than $50,000 in Bribes Article here US Says Issa Salomi Returns Contractor Killed in US Special Operations Osprey CV-22 Crash In Memory of Tim Eysselinck April 23, 2004 AIG's Deceptive Defense Doctor John Dorland Griffith Exposed Publicly, Finally For AIG's Man in Jordan, War becomes a business opportunity Foreign Interpreters Hurt in Battle Find US Insurance Benefits Wanting Lost in LImbo Injured Afghan Translators Struggle to Survive David W. Laconte killed by Roadside Bomb in Afghanistan Retired US Navy SEAL from Va Beach Leishmaniasis in Iraq and Afghanistan a hazard yes a War Hazard Act reimbursement NO Unless the Sandflys in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken up arms against the Contractors AIG, CNA, and ACE should be picking up the tab not the taxpayer More on Leish here The Acinetobacter Threat epiNews Investigative Medical Reporting Medical issues effecting Military and Contractors Toxic Exposures, Leishmaniasis, Acinetobacter, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury Fallen Contractors Memorial DynCorp Contractors Killed in Kandahar Attack Gary W Willard Hit Bahadur Gurung Contractor Blown Up in Iraq "alleges" injury After ProPublica and NPR Investigation, Pentagon Puts Its Spin on Brain Injuries DoD Intentionally Avoided TBI Screening to Avoid PR "Headache" Shaun Sexton UK Security Guard Killed in Kunduz Attack Medical Care Workers Executed in Afghanistan The workers — six Americans, a German, a Briton and two Afghans — were shot to death in a remote region of northeastern Afghanistan. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found Friday. Dr. Karen Woo, Glenn Lap. Cheryl Beckett Dr Thomas Grams, Dr Tom Little, Brian Carderelli Dan Terry, Daniela Beyer, Mahram Ali, Jawed Never Attend an Insurance Company "IME" Unarmed Never attend any medical or psychiatric evaluation on behalf of the DBA insurance company without your lawyer or an advocate that your attorney provides and Never attend one of these without a videographer. Afghan Gov't says 4 months to Disband Private Security Firms Why does the question of whether DBA attorneys take kickbacks from insurance companies come up so often? Eysselinck vs Ronco Consulting/CNA Injustice prevails Federal Judge Denies Defendants ArmorGroup’s and Wackenhut’s Motions to Dismiss False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawsuit Involving Fraudulent Practices at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul read here Gordon Duff at Veterans Today Zombie Contractors PENTAGON SCAM ENRICHES “REVOLVING DOOR” BUDDIES Alan Hanzel, DynCorp, Killed in Afghanistan Explosion This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in Iraq and Afghanistan by T Christian Miller at ProPublica Story here Marcie Hascall Clark, an advocate for contract workers, said that contractor deaths and injuries reflected contractors’ importance in fighting the wars. . “I don’t think most contractors expect to be treated as nobly as our soldiers, but they don’t expect to be forgotten, either,” said Hascall Clark, who runs a group called American Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan Be sure to visit Raw Story for breaking stories sometimes before they break!! Attention KBR Truck Drivers Past and Present Working Off the Clock MsSparky Linda Norgrove USAID DAI Killed in Afghanistan by her Captors Story with updates here (Update: Likely killed by her rescuers) Update Killed Accidently by US Soldier Officer Failed to Warn CIA About Khost Attack that killed Civilian contractors and prior civilian contractors Jeremy Wise, Dane Clark Paresi, Scott Michael Roberson, Harold Brown Jr Another Episode of the DBA X Files Mystery is Solved ALJ Paul Johnson and Dr John Dorland Griffith Overturned by the Benefits Review Board the administrative law judge was to assess the weight to be accorded to the medical evidence of record, without substituting his judgment for that of the physicians. here for the full story Special Thanks to our X Files crew Warning to all Civilian Contractors on Facebook Eric Sandoval, Former Marine, Military Contractor, Dies Suddenly VA Recognizes "Presumptive" Illnesses in Gulf War, Iraq, and Afganistan Veterans: here VA Burn PIts Information about potential exposure to toxins from burn pits, possible health-related problems Mark Fitzpatrick Dies in Afghanistan Blast WikiLeaks Mirror Sites Operation OutPost Federal Agents Raid EOD Technology Offices Pentagon Health Plan Won’t Cover Brain-Damage Therapy for Troops T Christian Miller ProPublica and Daniel Zwerdling NPR Rufford "Hobby" Hobson EOD, Contractor Remains found Hobby went missing not long after being let go by Ronco Consulting after working for them for many years read here German National, Aid Worker, Killed in Afghanistan A German national has died of his wounds in a hospital in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh Province as Taliban step up their attacks against foreign troops in the country. Kevin Davis, DynCorp, killed in Christmas Day Rocket Attack at Kandahar The Khost Bombing One Year Ago Today December 30, 2009 Danny Fitzsimons, ArmorGroup, Murder Trial Updates ArmorGroup fails to Vet mentally ill contractor resulting in the murder of two others and the wounding of one Staff Sgt David P.Senft dies of “injuries sustained in a noncombat related incident” Army ignores blaring symptoms of Mental Health Problems Wackenhut Information Breach ?? Wackenhut keeps employees personal information on individual computers in Iraq ?? Civilian Contractor Casualty numbers continue to escalate According to the latest Department of Labor Defense Base Act Claim Summary Why don't the numbers add up? Supreme Group witholds DBA Claims dating to 2006 The Danny Fitzsimons Trial We Ask Again Why ArmorGroup is not on trial for endangering the lives of everyone they exposed to an armed Danny Fitzsimons? Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare are dead because of ArmorGroup’s negligence in failing to Vet a known mentally ill employee. Danny ran out on a pending weapons charge in England and was on probation for previous convictions. Danny Fitzsimons also had known alcohol and drug problems. Farewell Good Friend Rufford Hobby Hobson Obituary Justice for Injured Contractors South African Injured War Zone Contractors Advocating for Injured Contractors In Houston, Rep. Giffords Could Receive Brain Injury Treatment Thousands of Troops Do Not PTSD Suicide Finally Justice Prevails See Wade Dill Casualty Counted ALJ Awards Widow Defense Base Act benefits Raymond Allen Davis, Former Blackwater Security Contractor, works for the CIA Check out his website Hyperion Protective Consultants and get the details here New Report Breaks Down Security Contractor Trends in Iraq and Afghanistan Defense Base Act Insurance Company CNA Hires Double Agent, convicted murderer, Kevin Woods as TPA for South African Injured War Zone Contractors here Eight UN Workers Killed in Mazar-e-Sharif Afghanistan, 2 beheaded Five Nepalese Guards, One Swedish, Romanian, Norwegian Tim Eysselinck Ronco Consulting Casualty April 23 2004 Two Contractor PTSD Suicides This Week Both Former DynCorp Employees CNA Insurance Company Defense Base Act Coverage read more here CNA DBA Insurance Company Finally recommended for Criminal Investigation read here CNA's failure to pay out benefits underscores the continuing problems with the Defense Base Act, essentially the workers compensation system foroverseas federal contractors. Long Path to Courtroom for Contractor Accused of Bribery by T Christian Miller at ProPublica US Army Misled Public About Acinetobacter Outbreak's Origin by Bryant Furlow at EpiNewswire Former Police Sergeant Brent Benton Killed in Afghanistan Careful who you follow Ronco Consulting sued for negligence by United Nations Mine Action Employee severely injured by landmine in cleared area Fartham vs Ronco Consulting Class Action Tax Misclassification Filed Against Xe/Blackwater Ronco Consulting did this for many years also RIP Dennis Nalick Fluor employee victim of brutal rape at FOB Shank in Afghanistan in Critical Condition in Germany read here SIGAR Audit says CNA DBA Insurance Company May owe US Taxpayer $58.5 Million Dollars read here Casualty List SEAL Team Chopper Crash Kraig Vickers Navy EOD Dies in SEAL Team Chopper Crash here US Engineer, James W “Will” Coker remains found in Afghanistan initial reports indicate beheading Read more here Injured War Zone War Contractors File Defense Base Act Class Action Brink vs CNA et al “This abusive and illegal scheme by the defendants has been allowed to go on for too long. We are talking about loss of life, suicide, loss of homes, marriages, families split up, “ Bloch said, “and the culprits are the large government contractors who should have treated their employees better, and the mega-insurance companies who were paid a hefty sum to make sure the employees were taken care of with uninterrupted benefits in the event of injuries in these war zones.” Join in our class action here Fluor loses seven contractors in Kabul Bombing Eight Civilian Contractors Reported Killed in Kabul Afghanistan Suicide Bombing Two British Contractors Electricians killed worked for Fluor Stephen Brown David Quinn here for details and updates Include U.S Civilian Contractors in Deaths/Injured in Iraq & Afghanistan Please go here to sign Petition Do Not Go To Iraq Mark Fisher, Triple Canopy, speaks out on Iraq Imprisonment Chad Regelin, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, US Sailor of the Year Killed in Afghanistan read here At Least 418 Civilian Contractor Deaths in 2011 KBR Settle's Lawsuit Brought by Driver Injured in Iraq Convoy Ronco Consulting Named in Contractor Lawsuit for EEOC Violations Ronco Consulting Settles Negligence Lawsuit before even responding to complaint KBR wins appeal in Fifth Circuit Fisher vs Halliburton The Defense Base Acts Exclusive Remedy Holds up as a License to Kill IRS Targets US ExPats The time to prepare is before you deploy War's Risks Shift to Contractors by Rod Norland at The New York Times At Least 49 Civilian Contractor Deaths Filed on in First Quarter of 2012 Elijah Cummings, House Oversight Committee Ranking Democrat Introduces Legislation to Reform the Defense Base Act CNA's Deadly Paper Games We are the best kept secret of the wars At Least 59 Civilian Contractor Deaths Filed on in Second Quarter of 2012 Nine Years Ago Today Still Getting Screwed Over by CNA Dan Hoaglands Death Sentence at the Hands of AIG's Overly Zealous Defense CNA Defense Base Act Insurance Company Caught Lying to Department of Labor not for the first time Department of Labors Presumption That Claimants Doctors Lie but CNA is telling the truth Department of Labor and Supreme Group Conspire to Cover Up the Untimely Filing of Nearly 200 Death Claims? Half of which were filed to uninsured employer here T Christian Miller Interviews Bill Carlisle Jr. on ProPublica Podcast Bill Carlisle to lose his home while KBR, AIG, DoL, and the lawyers all go home comfortable with what they've done to him in order to fatten their own bank accounts. Civilian Contractor Casualty Count Veterans and Civilian Contractors looking for federal jobs get help here Latest Civilian Contractor Casualty Numbers Out Civilian Contractor Casualty Count At Least 300 Civilian Contractor Deaths in 2012 At Least 71 Civilian Contractor Deaths in Fourth Quarter of 2012 At Least 121 Civilian Contractor Deaths in Third Quarter of 2012 American Civilian Contractor, Police Advisor Killed in Kabul Afghanistan Christmas Eve More here Civilian Contractors: Tax Time is here Robert D Halsell Killed in Afghanistan Convoy Attack Michael Bradford Killed in Afghanistan Convoy Attack