Don’t Lose Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits
If you are receiving workers’ compensation benefits, it is important to understand that the insurance company paying your benefits may attempt to reduce (modify), suspend or terminate them. If you have received a notice indicating that you are being sent for an independent medical examination, or you have been contacted by a vocational "counselor," contact a qualified worker's compensation attorney. The insurance company is trying to collect evidence to change your benefits. Your benefits may be reduced (modified), suspended or terminated. Contact an attorney immediately.
The insurance companies have attorneys working on their behalf, and you should too. If you need to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney, contact McGraw & Associates, LLC in Skippack, Pennsylvania. To schedule a free consultation, call 610-584-9400 (Ext. 116). Fees are contingent upon successfully making or defending your claim.
Contact an Attorney as Soon as Possible
If the workers’ compensation provider wants to stop paying benefits to you, it hires a doctor of its own choosing and asks the doctor to declare you "fully recovered." In the alternative, they ask the doctor to state what kind of work activities you can perform. Although these doctors may be described as neutral and objective, do not be fooled. Contact an attorney immediately. Learn what you need to know about the examination before you go, so you are prepared. Don't wait to see what the doctor has to say before you contact an attorney. If there is a chance that the doctor is going to give an opinion that does not threaten your benefits, that chance is only increased by talking to an experienced lawyer and being prepared for the examination.
If a vocational "counselor contacts you and wants to "interview" you, and you have not talked to an attorney yet, you should call an attorney before you arrange the interview. You should have an attorney at your side during the interview to make sure that the vocational "counselor" only asks appropriate questions. Your attorney will also use the interview as a way of learning much more about your case so an appropriate strategy can be formed to challenge the vocational "counselor's" opinion.
If necessary, we can arrange for you to see a doctor or vocational expert who can assist in your case. With more than 22 years of workers’ compensation experience, attorney Terence Sean McGraw knows how to handle cases prudently and effectively. If retained to handle your case, he will aggressively protect your rights and fight to maintain the benefits you now receive.
Initial Hearings and Appeals
After you have seen a doctor or a vocational expert, the attorney for the workers’ compensation insurance company will file a petition with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation seeking to reduce (modify), suspend or terminate your benefits. There will be at least two hearings before the Workers' Compensation Judge issues a final decision in your case. Often there will be more than two hearings. You will need to testify at least one of those hearings. Some of the hearings may be handled by an attorney going to court without you.
If retained to handle your case, we will work diligently to build the most aggressive and effective defense of your rights and preserve your workers’ compensation benefits. We will gather all your medical, vocational and other records that we will need to learn everything about your case. We will consult with you and prepare you to present the most credible and persuasive testimony possible. We will consult with your doctors and obtain their testimony as necessary. We will hire additional experts if they are needed. If the judge changes your benefits, we have extensive appeals experience. Appeals may be made to the Workers’ Compensation Board, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and, if you get permission, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Contact Us
If your worker’s compensation benefits are in jeopardy or they have already been suspended and you need a lawyer for an appeal, contact McGraw & Associates, LLC. Consultations are free. Fees are contingent upon successfully making or defending your claim.
