When a client walks through our door, his/her life has been unexpectedly turned upside down.
It is the corrections officer injured by an unruly prisoner, or, a registered nurse involved in an auto accident with his/her family. It can be a doctor diagnosed with a serious illness, or, a military veteran struggling with an onset of Parkinson’s Disease due to Agent Orange exposure.
The life “change” arrives without warning and creates chaos in what was a routine existence: a full schedule of medical appointments, loss of independence, reliance on family and friends, enduring surgery as well as hours of rehabilitation, loss of self-esteem, and missing out on family functions from birthday parties and holiday dinners to school activities with children. And, on top of all of these life changing moments is the financial pressure of a reduced or total loss of income.
We are very sensitive to all the worries heaped on our clients. Consequently, we have developed a unique approach to helping our clients soldier through an injury or disability. Our attorneys at QuatriniRafferty first focus on identifying and pursuing the primary source of compensation – the automobile insurance policies covering an at-fault driver, the workers’ compensation carrier, or the Social Security Disability claim.
The QR difference is that we have a wide range of legal specialties to identify other potential sources of income and rehabilitation sources:
Should the injured corrections officer file for unemployment compensation if the Workers’ Compensation claim is denied? Or, should the worker utilize the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to retrain for a less-physical job after settling the WC case?- Should the registered nurse consider filing a Social Security Disability claim in addition to pursuing a Personal Injury claim against the at-fault driver’s automobile insurance company? Did we consider working with a financial adviser to determine whether a structured settlement would provide more long-term security?
- Did the doctor make sure to file an application for Short-Term or Long-Term Disability benefits through the employer at the time our client went off of work? Or, is Bankruptcy necessary to repair credit and ward off bill collectors after our client’s financial life got turned upside down?
- Should the Veteran struggling with Parkinson’s Disease file claims with the VA for Individual Unemployability benefits because he or she cannot work, or, for Aid and Attendance benefits to compensate their loved one who is caring for them?
The QR multi-sources of income approach produces two important results: First, it minimizes the immediate impact of an injury or illness. Secondly, it maximizes the financial recovery for our clients and puts them in a stronger economic position for the long term. Here are two examples. Jim is a Veteran. He could no longer hold down a job. We coordinated his Short-Term and Long-Term Disability benefits which carried him through the five-year odyssey of a VA disability appeal. Sally was a nurse. We obtained a Social Security Disability award – at the Judge’s hearing – for Sally, providing her with a steady, monthly income, for life, which helped Sally conserve the lump sum Workers’ Compensation settlement we obtained for her.
At QR, this is what we do. Every day, all day. When life happens, call one of our 15 attorneys for a free consultation (at [nap_phone id=”TOLL-FREE-CT-NUMBER-8″]) in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, and Altoona.