On December 4th, 2005, Janet Henebema was driving home from work as a dealer in an Atlantic City casino. Suddenly, her car was struck by another car—one that had skidded out of control on some black ice. Ms. Henebema got out of her car and walked over to the shoulder of the road, only to… Continue Reading New Jersey Appellate Division Reverses and Remands Personal Injury Case
At 13 years old, Rhode Island resident Maria Borino Provancha had ten-inch metal Harrington rods inserted into her back. For her entire life, Ms. Provancha has been suffering from back pain and scoliosis. The rods helped—they straightened her spinal column and slowed the damage being done to her body. But they also led to other… Continue Reading Federal Judge Awards Woman Six Years of Back Disability Benefits
This week, automobile customers in 14 states filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. The suit alleges that a potentially unsafe defect in Ford cars should have been remedied 5 years earlier than it was. According to the suit, though Ford only began fixing the problem in U.S. cars in 2010, it did so in… Continue Reading Ford Sued for Waiting to Remedy Unsafe Acceleration Defect in U.S. Cars
[bs_row class="row"] [bs_col class="col-sm-2"][/bs_col][bs_col class="col-sm-8"] [/bs_col][bs_col class="col-sm-2"][/bs_col] [/bs_row] Currently, there is a mandatory five-month waiting period for receiving Social Security Disability benefits for all prospective beneficiaries—even for those given 12 months or less to live. The potential inequities of this requirement hit home, in particular, for Susan Young, a Long Island resident who… Continue Reading Congressman Proposes Legislation to Reduce Wait Times for Social Security Disability Benefits for the Terminally Ill
In January of 2008, James Hitesman—a nurse who working for Bridgeway Senior Healthcare, a nursing home in Bridgewater, N.J.—sent an email to fellow Bridgeway employees. He reported that he was noticing a high rate of infection among the facility’s patients. Bridgeway’s medical director disagreed, replying as such in a return email. But Hitesman was not… Continue Reading New Jersey Appellate Division Overturns Jury Verdict for Nursing Home ‘Whistleblower’
A violent Christmas Eve in 2008 is now at the center of an unlikely workers’ compensation suit that has found its way up to South Dakota’s highest court. That day, Julie Tassler—an employee at an HSBC bank processing center—was taking her 15-minute break in the office parking lot. Tassler’s schedule was fairly predictable. As a… Continue Reading Workers’ Compensation Suit Reaches State Supreme Court
In what is proving itself to be a cautionary tale for dentists and patients across the country, federal authorities with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are stepping in to help investigate a dental office that is gaining notoriety in the national press. While the exterior of the Tulsa, Oklahoma dental office appeared… Continue Reading Federal Authorities Investigating Claims of Unsafe Dental Practices in Oklahoma Office
With so much talk of cost cutting and budget savings, the Social Security Administration is still regularly working to improve services within its means. In the most recent “Annual Performance Plan” (found here: http://www.ssa.gov/budget/2013APP.pdf), the SSA described numerous areas identified for improvement, one of which is simple and straightforward: improving the clarity of notices. According… Continue Reading Social Security Administration to Improve the Clarity and Readability of Notices
A recent article (found here: http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2013/03/14/could-employers-help-cut-ssdi-claims) discussed some of the various Social Security Disability Insurance cost-cutting measures currently being proposed and discussed. According to Stephen Goss, chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund is expected to no longer be adequate by 2016. At that point, without any changes, the program will… Continue Reading Employer Contribution to Social Security Disability Insurance Debated
In a startling report released this week, almost 200 Jersey City schools’ water fountains were found to contain lead contamination above federal standards. One of the fountains, said the report, contained contamination at more than 800 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard. Thirty-seven had levels of more than 100 times the standard. Lead poisoning is… Continue Reading Hundreds of Jersey City School Water Fountains Found to Contain Lead Above Federal Standards
