ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥

A work-related team building exercise resulted in a serious spinal injury for our client, Jack.  When Jack first came to Riemer Hess, he had worked through his injury for nearly a year.  Despite continued treatment, his symptoms were progressing in severity and he found himself experiencing more and more difficulty performing his job Jack eventually went out on a medical leave of absence and was awarded salary continuation by his employer.  However, Jack needed guidance pursuing Long Term Disability benefits because he knew that his injuries would prevent him from working longer than his salary continuation would last.

Disability insurance companies often use occupational analyses and vocational assessments to evaluate whether you can continue working despite a medical condition. Insurers often rely on these tools to argue that you can still perform your own occupation or transition into another type of work. However, insurer occupational analyses are not always accurate and may misclassify occupations, overlook cognitive or physical limitations, and minimize the real-world demands of your job.

Understanding how these evaluations work can be critical when protecting your right to long term disability benefits.

A vocational assessment can provide a detailed, expert opinion that explains why your disability prevents you from working.

A vocational expert can achieve this by:  (1) providing an accurate and comprehensive description of your job responsibilities; (2) highlighting the skills and abilities necessary to perform your job successfully; (3) clearly explaining your inability to meet particular work demands; and (4) providing an expert conclusion as to whether you can perform your own occupation or any other occupation.

Functional limitations from your disability can affect your ability to do your job and may support a disability claim. Your condition may cause limitations or restrictions that affect your job and prevent you from performing the requirements of your occupation or other occupations.  You may suffer from exertional limitations, non-exertional limitations, or a combination thereof.

We have handled the long term disability needs of professors from many prestigious educational institutions with various areas of expertise. Examples of common disability issues that our firm has handled for our clients include: musculoskeletal injuries to the cervical/lumbar spine and lower extremities precluding the ability to stand/walk for prolonged periods; cognitive deficits, fatigue, and systemic pain due to autoimmune diseases limiting the ability to sustain attention/concentration, process information efficiently, or work a 8 hour workday; mental illnesses that limit the ability to interact with others.