Largely in response to an administrative law judge’s landmark decision, a Florida lawmaker plans to introduce a bill forcing the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover burn pit injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) plans to present a bill to the House Veterans Affairs Committee that would require the VA to presume that burn pits in …

A member of the Foreign Ministry told that country’s Homeland Security Committee that the private military contractors accused in a 2016 murder are U.S. government “employees” under the terms of the 1952 Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The U.S. government has refused to pay damages to the victim’s survivors, claiming that the perpetrators were private contractors instead of regular …

Recent controversy regarding Afghanistan contractor pilots and their lack of security clearances will probably change some employer attitudes in this area. Read on to find out how these changes may affect you and your family. According to an Inspector General’s report, the military often uses DynCorp helicopters to ferry official visitors between Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport and points in …

Military contractors in places like Iraq continue to face hazards long after a particular region has been pacified. As rebuilding and reconstruction efforts commence, the risk of injury actually increases. Not only to these individuals face dangers from potential suicide bombers and gangs of militants, they also must deal with the risk of occupational diseases. These injuries arise over the …

CHOOSING THE RIGHT LAWYER AND ETHICAL CONCERNS A person who believes they have a cause of action under the laws of the United States has the right to hire a lawyer to represent their interests.  It is very important that you hire a lawyer that not only has the necessary experience and skills you need, but someone you can trust …

SELECCIONANDO EL ABOGADO CORRECTO Y LAS PREOCUPACIONES ÉTICAS Una persona que crea tener una causa de acción bajo las leyes de los Estados Unidos tiene derecho a contratar a un abogado que represente sus intereses.  Es muy importante contratar un abogado que no solo tenga la experiencia y las habilidades necesarias que usted necesita, sino que sea alguien en quien …

In a potentially significant development for private military contractors who sustain Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the Food and Drug Administration issued final approval for a diagnosis system that uses a blood sample. Banyan Biomarkers developed a test which measures blood protein levels that are associated with “brain bleeding” and other head injuries. Doctors must draw blood …

In a previous post, we covered Landry v. KBR’s implications for burn pit victims. That same case also has tremendous meaning for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder victims. During her service in Mosul, Specialist Veronica Landry dealt with many traumatic events, even though she was a morale officer who organized karaoke sing-alongs and other events. At one such party, enemy mortar …

An imposing structure that some pundits have dubbed the “sugar cube,” and also happens to be one of the costliest facilities of its kind, is set to open in January of 2018, thanks to an army of construction workers. Considering infrastructure, construction, landscaping, and all other costs, the new United States Embassy in London, which is on the banks of …

In a follow up to a blog we posted recently, it now appears that a Syrian energy production company promised a Russian private military contractor a share of the profits from oil wells that the mercenaries liberated from ISIS. The offer may be designed to entice these fighters to remain in-country, now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has unexpectedly declared …

The federal government may be making plans to fight the next war, and rather than looking inward, it turned to the contractors at NexiTech for assistance. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the government expects NexiTech to upgrade authentication, encryption, and other passive measures into more active defenses. There is a considerable sense of urgency in this matter, …

After dismissing earlier casualty reports as “classic disinformation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry now says that “several dozen” Russian and former Soviet Republic mercenaries were wounded or killed in a U.S.-led airstrike outside Deir ez-Zor. They now join the ranks of the thousands of American private military contractors killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. The ministry stressed that the mercenaries, …