Your questions

Illinois Work Comp and Independent Medical Exams

Dirk May Illinois, Illinois Work Comp Attorney, Illinois Work Comp Lawyer, Law, Medical, Workers Compensation, Workers Compensation Commission, Your questions

Illinois Workers’ Compensation law allows an insurance company to schedule as many independent medical exams for injured workers as it wants to.

An independent medical exam or IME involves a doctor the insurance company hires to examine an injured worker.

The purpose of the exam is not for treatment. It is to provide an opinion for the insurance company’s case.

This will be used against you in a trial or to deny benefits if the doctor’s opinion is that your condition is not related to the work accident or that you do not need anymore treatment or that you are able to return to work.

If this happens to you, then you do not have to give up on your case.

You should see an experienced Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney right away if this happens to you.

It does not cost you anything to hire an Illinois Work Comp lawyer. The law provides that all attorney fees are contingent upon winning your cases. This means that you do not have to pay a fee until you receive money from the insurance company. All fees are limited to 20 percent of the total award or settlement.

Do not the insurance company keep you from the money you are entitled to. Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

Work Comp- Denied?

Dirk May Help, Illinois, Illinois Work Comp Attorney, Illinois Work Comp Lawyer, Insurance, Law, Workers Compensation, Workers Compensation Commission, Your questions

What do you do when your Workers’ Compensation insurance company denies your claim and tells you they will not pay for any more medical treatment or pay for your time off work?

Some insurance companies will legitimately deny a person based on medical information or accident information, however some insurance companies will deny an injured worker in hopes that the person will drop the case.

If you have a bona fide injury, then you should contact an experienced Illinois Work Comp Attorney to help you.

Do not let the insurance company try to bluff you.

If you have suffered a work injury you are entitled to off work pay, medical treatment, and a settlement.

An Illinois Workers’ Compensation lawyer can tell you if you have a compensable case and what you need to do to win.

It does not cost any upfront money to hire a lawyer. In Illinois a lawyer is only paid when you get paid. The fee is limited to 20 percent of your recovery.

Questions about your work injury case? Feel free to contact Illinois Work Comp Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

No time limit on Social Security disability benefits

Dirk May Help, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Law, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, Your questions

Your Social Security disability benefits will continue as long as your medical condition has not improved and you remain unable to work.

Source: No time limit on Social Security disability benefits

 

Click above to read.

 

This explains the your disability benefits continue until Social Security determines otherwise. There seems to be more cases of Social Security ruling that people’s disability have ceased. You must appeal these denials or your benefits will stop.

What if You Lose Your Social Security Disability Case?

Dirk May Help, Illinois, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, Your questions

Social Security Disability cases take a long time to get to hearing so if you lose it is very disappointing.

However, there is still hope.

You have the option to appeal the case to the Appeals Council. The Council acts as an appellate court to review the Administrative Law Judge’s decision.

Beyond the Appeals Council you can appeal to Federal Court. Not many cases go this far because it is difficult to win at the Federal level, but depending on the facts of your case it may be possible.

The other option is to reapply.

The surprising thing is that once you reapply it seems as if a new set of eyes at Social Security looks at the case and there are a number of cases that are approved.

The bottom line is that you should not give up.

Keep trying because you never know what will happen.

The only other option is to try to return to work and see what you can do.

I have had clients who have returned to work and worked as long as they could and then reapplied.

The advantage to this approach is that it builds up your benefit payments, and once you can no longer work it shows a good faith attempt to Social Security.

Questions about your disability case? Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

Vocational Consultants and Your Disability Case

Dirk May Help, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, Your questions

At almost every Social Security Disability hearing there is a vocational consultant present.

The vocational consultant is often very important in deciding whether or not you will receive disability benefits.

The Judge will usually ask you questions about your past work, your problems and limitations.

If you have an attorney, then the attorney will ask you questions.

After all questioning is completed, the Judge will ask the vocational consultant questions.

The Judge will ask the vocational consultant what are called hypothetical questions.

It will go something like this: assuming that a person can stand and walk 6 out of 8 hours of the day, sit 6 hours out of 8 hours of the day, lift 20 pounds occasionally, 10 pounds frequently, handle and finger frequently, with occasional stooping and kneeling, no stairs or climbing, with only simple work processes. Can the person perform past relevant work? Are there any other jobs the person can perform?

If the Vocational Consultant lists jobs in response, then you must be able to ask the consultant questions to eliminate those jobs or you will lose your case.

The reason is that if the Judge finds you can do any of your past work performed in the last 15 years, then Social Security rules provide that you are not disabled. If you are under 50 years of age and you can do any type of work, then you are not disabled. If you are over 50 years of age it gets more complicated.

The bottom line is that you must know the proper questions to ask the vocational consultant or you will lose.

It is important to have an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer on your side to help you ask these questions.

It does not cost you any money to have a lawyer on your side until you win your case and get paid money from Social Security.

It is certainly worth it to win your case and get Social Security Disability benefits paid to you for the rest of your life.

Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.