Disposable Army: Civilian Contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq

[RedEarth]

Series of articles dealing with the use of civilian contractors.....very interesting.

Foreign Interpreters Hurt in Battle Find U.S. Insurance Benefits Wantingby T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - December 18, 2009 4:42 am EST
An insurance program funded by American taxpayers was supposed to provide a safety net for Iraqi interpreters and their families in the event of injury or death. Yet for many, the benefits have fallen painfully short of what was promised.

http://www.propublica.org/series/disposable-army

Injured Abroad, Neglected at Home: Labor Dept. Slow to Help War Zone Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - December 17, 2009 2:30 pm EST

WASHINGTON–In her first public address after taking office, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis promised to increase enforcement of laws designed to protect workers.

"You can rest assured that there is a new sheriff in town," she told union members at a gathering in Miami Beach shortly after her confirmation in February.

Ten months later, Solis’ Labor Department has failed to crack down on one of the agency’s fastest growing and most expensive programs–a system designed to ensure medical care for civilian workers injured in war zones.

The department is responsible for overseeing a workers compensation system in which insurance carriers provide coverage to civilians working on overseas federal contracts. Such policies are funded by taxpayers.

But the department has failed to pursue sanctions against corporations accused of ignoring federal requirements to purchase such insurance, according to a ProPublica review of court cases, federal records and interviews with worker advocates.

http://www.propublica.org/feature/labor-dept-slow-to-enforce-defense-base-act-for-contractor-care-1217

http://www.propublica.org/series/disposable-army