NASA Michoud Assembly Facility Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
The Michoud Assembly Facility sits in New Orleans East, and the people injured there are rarely employed by NASA itself. Welders, machinists, tooling crews, inspectors, crane operators, and contract technicians who build rocket hardware on that site typically draw their paychecks from private contractors and subcontractors, which changes who your employer is, which insurer pays, and which claims process applies. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Louisiana and Mississippi, and a NASA Michoud Assembly Facility workers’ compensation lawyer from our team can sort out those questions before they become obstacles to your benefits.
Michoud is one of the largest manufacturing sites in the country, with enormous assembly bays, overhead lifting equipment, high-pressure systems, composite and metal fabrication, and tight schedules driven by launch hardware deadlines. Injuries in that setting tend to be physical and cumulative: shoulders and backs worn down by repetitive overhead work, knees and ankles damaged on large production floors, burns and crush injuries around heavy machinery, and hearing loss from years of industrial noise. Each of those can produce a compensable claim under Louisiana law, and each can draw the same resistance from an insurer looking for a reason to pay less.
Who Is Your Employer at Michoud, and Why It Matters for Your Claim
Before anything else, you need to know which company was your employer when you were hurt. A worker on the Michoud floor might be employed directly by a prime contractor, by a subcontractor that supplies labor or specialty services, or by a staffing agency that placed them there. The employer on your payroll records is generally the entity responsible for carrying workers’ compensation coverage and the one whose insurer will handle the claim. Louisiana requires nearly every employer to carry coverage, even for one employee, so there should be a policy somewhere behind your job.
Federal ownership of the site adds a layer people often misunderstand. Being injured at a federal facility does not automatically move your claim into a federal program. Federal employees have their own system, but contractor employees injured at a federally owned site are usually covered under the state workers’ compensation law that governs their private employer. If you were hurt at Michoud while working for a contractor, a Louisiana claim before the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration is the typical path. If your employer’s contract involves a different federal compensation arrangement, that needs to be identified early, and it is one of the first things we review.
The same facts that identify your employer can also reveal other responsible parties. If another contractor’s crew, a equipment manufacturer, or a negligent driver on site contributed to your injury, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to your comp benefits. Comp benefits do not pay for pain and suffering, and a third-party claim can. Our personal injury lawyers handle those claims and coordinate them with the comp case so one does not undercut the other.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Michoud Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across South Louisiana. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients. Most attorneys who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one happens to come through the door; we built the firm the other way around.
That focus shows up in the people. Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, both Partners, have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, and Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results are relevant to the kind of injuries Michoud workers suffer. We secured $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients consistently describe a team that listened, stayed in touch, and stood up to the insurance company. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos espanol), which matters on industrial sites with a diverse workforce.
Injuries and Conditions We See From Aerospace and Industrial Manufacturing Work
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting, bending, and awkward positioning while working on large assemblies can herniate lumbar and cervical discs. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, but a job that caused or accelerated the condition remains compensable.
- Shoulder Injuries: Overhead welding, drilling, and fastening on tall structures commonly lead to rotator cuff tears and SLAP tears, and employers sometimes try to recast them as old sports injuries.
- Knee, Ankle, and Foot Injuries: Long shifts on concrete floors, climbing scaffolding and platforms, and stepping on and off equipment produce meniscus tears, ACL tears, and fractures that may need specialist surgery.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Welding, cutting, hot work, and pressurized systems create burn and crush risks. Catastrophic injuries can qualify for additional benefits under Louisiana law.
- Struck-By and Caught-In Injuries: Overhead cranes, forklifts, and moving fixtures can injure workers. These accidents often involve more than one company on site, which can open a third-party claim.
- Occupational Hearing Loss and Respiratory Conditions: Years of industrial noise, fumes, and particulates can cause hearing loss and lung problems that develop gradually rather than from a single accident.
- Repetitive Stress and Cumulative Trauma: Hands, wrists, elbows, and spines worn down by repetitive production tasks are compensable when work caused or worsened them, even without one dramatic incident.
What to Do After a Michoud Workplace Injury
Report the injury to your supervisor right away, in writing if you can, and do not let the deadline slip. Louisiana law requires notice to your employer within 30 days of the injury, and no compensation proceeding can be maintained without it. Name your employer on that report, meaning the company that actually employs you, not NASA. Get medical attention immediately and tell every provider that the injury happened at work and describe how, because early medical records become the backbone of the claim. Keep copies of incident reports, photos of the area or equipment, names of coworkers who saw what happened, and your pay records.
The formal filing clock is separate from the notice requirement. In Louisiana, a claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of injury, though that period may extend to three years from the last compensation payment if benefits have already been paid. Do not assume that because your employer knows about the injury, the deadline has been met. Claims for Michoud workers who live in Mississippi, which is common given the commute from the Gulf Coast, can raise questions about which state’s law applies, so tell us where you live and where you were hired when we talk. Mississippi has its own deadlines, including a two-year window to file with its Workers’ Compensation Commission, and we will sort out the right forum.
Louisiana hears these claims before workers’ compensation judges in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, with district offices around the state, and you generally choose among the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived, or the parish of your employer’s principal place of business. Appeals from a judge’s final decision go to the Louisiana courts of appeal. Orleans Parish matters go to the Fourth Circuit, and Jefferson Parish matters go to the Fifth Circuit. Appeals must be filed within 30 days when the appeal suspends the judgment, and within 60 days when it does not.
The most damaging mistakes are predictable. Workers give recorded statements to an adjuster before understanding how their words will be used, return to full duty before a doctor releases them, skip appointments, or accept a quick lump sum that does not account for future surgery. If the insurer denies a treatment recommendation, there is a short fuse: a utilization review dispute is initiated by filing the proper form with the OWC within 15 calendar days of receiving the written denial, and the medical director then has 30 days to decide. A further challenge to that decision must be filed within 45 days of its issuance. Missing these windows can cost you care your surgeon says you need, so call us before the denial letter ages.
How Louisiana Wage and Medical Benefits Work for a Michoud Worker
Louisiana workers’ compensation pays for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment, including surgery, physical therapy, and prescriptions, and replaces a portion of lost wages while you cannot work. Temporary total disability benefits generally pay two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a maximum that is set by the state and changes with the date of your accident. That cap is fixed by the accident date and is not adjusted later, which is one reason an accurate wage calculation matters. Workers in skilled aerospace trades often earn well above the cap, so the maximum rather than your actual pay becomes the real number, and overtime and per diem details deserve careful attention.
If you return to work but earn less because of your restrictions, supplemental earnings benefits may apply. These benefits are available when you cannot earn at least 90 percent of your pre-injury wages, and they equal two-thirds of the difference between what you earned before and what you earn or are able to earn now. They continue until you are released to full duty, return to your pre-injury wages, or reach the 520-week maximum, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that limit. Insurers often argue that you could earn more than you actually do, so vocational evidence and job search records matter. Permanent disability and catastrophic injuries carry additional benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michoud Workers’ Compensation Claims
Do I file against NASA if I was hurt at Michoud?
Usually not. Most people working at Michoud are employed by private contractors and subcontractors, and your claim is typically made against your own employer and its workers’ compensation insurer. Identifying the correct employer from your paystub or offer letter is the first step, and we help confirm it.
How soon do I have to report a work injury in Louisiana?
Report it to your employer as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after the injury. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless notice was given within that period, so do not wait to see whether the pain improves.
How long do I have to file a formal claim?
A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of injury. If the insurer has paid compensation, the deadline may be extended to three years from the last payment. Because exceptions are narrow and mistakes are permanent, speak with an attorney early.
What benefits can I receive?
Louisiana covers reasonable and necessary medical care, wage replacement during temporary disability, supplemental earnings benefits if you return at reduced pay, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death. Vocational rehabilitation may also be available.
My claim was denied because the insurer says it is a pre-existing condition. Is it over?
No. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if your work caused, aggravated, or accelerated it. Strong medical opinions tying your job duties to your current condition are the usual answer to this defense.
Can my employer fire me for filing?
Louisiana and Mississippi both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review the circumstances.
The insurer denied my surgeon’s recommended treatment. What can I do?
You have 15 calendar days from receiving the written denial to file a dispute form with the OWC. The medical director then has 30 calendar days to issue a decision, and a further challenge has a 45-day window running from the date that decision is issued. These deadlines are short, so call as soon as the denial arrives.
I live in Mississippi but was hurt at Michoud. Which state’s law applies?
It depends on factors such as where you were hired, where your employer is based, and where the injury occurred. Louisiana is usually the focus for an injury at Michoud, but a Mississippi resident may have options. Mississippi requires injury notice within 30 days and a claim filed within two years, so protect both timelines while the question is sorted out.
Can I also sue someone besides my employer?
Possibly. If a different contractor, a negligent driver, or a defective piece of equipment contributed to your injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim. Louisiana’s fault rules and filing deadlines for those cases differ from the comp rules, so the sooner we review it, the better.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Sometimes, but health insurers generally expect the workers’ compensation carrier to pay for work injuries and may seek reimbursement later. Do not delay needed care. Tell us about any bills you have paid and we will address how they are handled.
What if I only got hurt gradually, with no single accident?
Cumulative injuries and occupational illnesses can be compensable. Document when symptoms began, which tasks aggravate them, and when you first connected them to work, since those dates affect your deadlines.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
Serving Michoud Workers Across New Orleans and South Louisiana
Michoud draws its workforce from across the metro area, and our team represents injured workers in New Orleans East and the surrounding Orleans Parish neighborhoods, as well as in neighboring St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish. We also work with clients from Jefferson Parish communities on the West Bank and East Bank, from St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist Parishes, and from across the Northshore in St. Tammany Parish. Workers who commute from Slidell and Mandeville, and from Tangipahoa, Washington, Lafourche, and Terrebonne Parishes, are covered by the same Louisiana system and the same deadlines.
Our reach extends throughout South Louisiana to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and north to Shreveport, so a contract technician who traveled in for a job at Michoud can still get help wherever home is. We also represent injured workers across Mississippi, including Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta, which matters for the many Gulf Coast residents whose careers cross the state line. Whether your injury was a single accident on the assembly floor or years of wear from production work, our workers’ compensation attorneys can take your claim to the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration and, when necessary, to the Louisiana courts of appeal.
Talk With a Michoud Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt working at the Michoud Assembly Facility, you do not have to deal with the insurance company by yourself. A Michoud workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your injury, identify your employer and the right insurer, protect your filing deadlines, and push for the medical care and wage benefits Louisiana law provides. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us to talk through what happened and what comes next.
