Maintenance and cure is a maritime employer’s obligation to pay an injured seaman’s basic living expenses (maintenance) and medical treatment costs (cure) until the seaman reaches maximum medical improvement.
This obligation applies even if the seaman was partly at fault for the injury. Serious misconduct, like being drunk on duty, can cut it off, and so can deliberately hiding a related prior medical condition the employer asked about at hiring. It’s one of the most important protections an injured seaman has, and it’s separate from any negligence claim under the Jones Act.
A Houston trial lawyer since 2009 — representing injured people and their families, and defending the accused in DWI and criminal cases. Jay is an ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, a certified practitioner and instructor of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, a certified Drug Recognition Expert, and trained in forensic chromatography. He is a member of the National College for DUI Defense, a founding member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, and an appointee to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission by Gov. Abbott in 2024.
Last reviewed July 2026 · This article is legal information, not legal advice. Read Jay’s full bio →