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The Arizona Republic


Friday, June 18, 2004

Worker comp claims pour in from Americans with Iraq jobs

Washington -- Almost half of all injury and death claims filed by U.S. government contractors so far this year were for incidents that occurred in Iraq.

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David Irving comments:

MY CORRESPONDENT writes: "Workers' compensation is a payment made under United States law to American workers who are injured while at work.
  "Evidently attacks by the Iraqi resistance have become a significant fraction of these claims, and half the total for U.S. government contractors.
   "The following article, attributed to the Associated Press, appeared on page A20 of the Friday, June 18, 2004 edition of The Arizona Republic.".

The federal government ultimately will spend millions of dollars for these workers' compensation payments. Federal law requires all U.S. government contractors and subcontractors to obtain workers' compensation insurance for civilian employees who work overseas. If an injury or death is related to a "war-risk hazard," the War Hazards Compensation Act provides for government reimbursement to insurance carriers.

Of the 771 injury claims filed by U.S. contractors so far this year, 345 occurred in Iraq. Of the 66 deaths reported as of last week, all but nine occurred in Iraq, according to the Labor Department, which handles the reporting of claims and reimbursements. Since January 2003, there have been claims for 476 injuries and 80 deaths in Iraq.

Casualties are rising. A convoy of contractors was ambushed Tuesday in Baghdad. Two people were killed and three were injured when shots were fired from a highway overpass. Among the most gruesome deaths were four civilian security personnel who were killed March 31 in Fallujah, their bodies mutilated and burned.

The remains of two were hung from a bridge. "The security situation is virtually unprecedented," said Bob Hartwig, chief economist with the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group. "You've got the potential to be kidnapped, to be killed, to be tortured, shot at, blown up."

Labor Department officials said they had no cost estimate for reimbursements of Iraq-related claims, but given the maximum payment of $1,030.78 per week and the number of injuries and deaths, it could well climb into the multimillions.

The Employees Compensation Fund, which pays war hazard and workers' comp for federal employees, is allocated about $2.3 billion annually.


[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED]

"I have an acquaintance from Fallujah. He tells me, 'The good thing we have that you don't in Baghdad is that you do not see any American soldiers on our streets. We do not allow that in Fallujah.'" --Hussein al-Musawi, quoted on p. A20, The Arizona Republic, April 3, 2004

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