General

The time you have before the administrative law judge in your social securtity hearing is limited. Most hearings are 45 to 50 minutes long. The judge mainly wants to hear from you since you are the person who can describe your daily activities and limitations. For this reason I will not usually call other witnesses to testify.

The exceptions are children’s cases and mental health problems. In these type of cases, witnesses are helpful.

Instead of witnesses in Social Security disability cases I will advise people to have family members or friends write letters describing the claimant’s limitations and condition.
The judge will read the letters and make them part of the file.

If you live in Peoria, Bloomington, Springfield or Champaign, Illinois and need a Social Security lawyer give me a call.

The Social Security Administration is gearing up to hire more Administrative Law Judges. That is the good news. This is an attempt to help bring the case back log down. The problem is that through retirement and attrition the net effect will still be the loss of more judges.

The short run outlook is still long waits for hearings for those seeking Social Security Disability. The long term plan will probably include hiring more judges and having them operate from regional hearing sites. That will certainly effect downstate Illinois claimants seeking Social Security disability in several ways. More on that in future posts.

Many Workers Compensation clients tell me they are nervous to testify at trial. This is normal.

However, the trial is not anything like you see on television. There is no jury, there are very few people present when you testify, and it is usually over in less than one hour.

The only people present are your attorney, the court reporter, the arbitrator (Judge), and the attorney for the insurance company. Usually there are not any other witnesses present.

I always prepare my clients days before trial so they know what to expect and the areas of questioning.

I would be glad to discuss your Workers Compensation case with you if you live in Peoria, Bloomington, Springfield or Champaign, Illinois.
Please give me a call at 309-827-4371

Clients will often tell me they are nervous about testifying at their Social Security disability hearing.

While it is normal to be nervous, you should remember that it is not anything like television. There is not a jury. There is not another attorney who will cross examine you.
The only people in the hearing room are the Judge, your attorney, the vocational expert, and a person recording the proceedings.

The Judge asks questions about your medical condition, your limitations, your medical treatment, your daily activities, and work history.

I always go through the major subject areas with my clients before the hearing so that you will feel comfortable and prepared.

If you live in Peoria, Bloomington, Springfield, or Champaign, Illinois please feel free to contact me to discuss what will happen at your Social Security hearing.

Illinois Workers’ Compensation law allows you to recover for repetitive trauma injuries such as carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel.

You must prove that your work activities caused or contributed to your repetitive injuries. Most doctors will say that they cannot determine the cause for repetitive injuries, but that certain work activities certainly will aggravate carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel. That is enough to get payment for medical bills and to be paid permanent partial disability.

If your work activities cause you pain remember to tell your doctor and describe the type of work you perform and the specific duties that trigger the flare ups.