Do You Offer Free Consultations?
Yes, after gathering some basic information from you, we will transfer you to an attorney who can answer some preliminary questions and then help schedule you a no cost, no obligation initial consultation.
Do You Have To Pay An Upfront Retainer, Or By The Hour To Get Help With Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability Or Personal Injury
No, as a general rule, attorneys who handle these cases on a contingent fee basis, meaning they are only paid if they get you recovery for your injuries. Only in very rare cases do attorneys in these areas ask for any kind of retainer.
Do I Really Need An Attorney To Help With My Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Yes, yes you do. Except for the Industrial Commission of Ohio, you are not dealing with a neutral party here. The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation considers itself a “big boy insurance company” (an actual quote from the last two Administrator/CEO, of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation). They are not neutral, but responsible for only paying your claim if they have to. The Third Party Administrator (TPA) or Managed Care Organization (MCO) are not neutral. The TPA is the employer’s insurance adjustor, making sure they pay the minimum on claims. The MCO is a like a Health Management Organization (HMO) for workers’ compensation. Their job is to limit care so as to limit the liability of employers for medical and other costs. They are paid by the BWC to do that for the employer, and the coordination ways to limit benefits with both the employer and BWC. All of them have a large number of very skilled attorneys working in the shadows against your interests.
I Hear That Most Claims For Both Social Security And Workers’ Compensation Go Through Quickly And Easily, And The Claims Settle For Larger Sums Of Money, Right?
No, they do not. An injured worker or disabled person has what is known the burden of proof, the responsibility to prove most things. The appeals process for Workers’ Compensation is measured in weeks to months, but claims themselves may go on for years and years. Appeals on Social Security Claims are much slower and take months to years. Social Security Claims do not settle, and workers’ compensation claims have a settlement rate, outside of court appeals of 2%, meaning 98% never settle, and the average settlement for the last year provided by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is $15,000.