Do I qualify for a pension or permanent disability? You should speak to a pension attorney to determine your eligibility based on your circumstances. It can be financially devastating if you’re forced to quit a high-paying profession due to an injury. Disability legal services are really complex, so it’s hard to find out if you qualify for benefits by doing your own research online. An attorney will be able to assist you throughout the process, which can take months and be full of complexities. Keep the following in mind to make this often-arduous process more manageable.
Get to Know Your VRC
When you file a pension claim, you’ll be assigned a vocational rehabilitation counselor (VRC). While VRCs will work closely with you and have your best interest in mind, others may actively look for ways to disqualify you. An attorney can examine the VRC’s assessment and make appeals when necessary.
Doctor-Assigned Permanent Work Restrictions
A physician will need to assign you permanent work restrictions. Don’t depend on an Independent Medical Examination (IME) doctor for this, as any worker’s compensation attorney will tell you, you’ll more likely than not be unapproved for the permanent work restriction. If you disagree with your doctor’s conclusion, however, you can always get a second opinion elsewhere.
Transferrable Skills Identification
If you have not been released to your original job of injury, the VRC will examine your vocational history to assess whether you have “transferrable skills.” This means whether you have any job skills that are applicable in another industry where you can meaningfully work in spite of your injury. If there are no transferrable skills, the VRC may look into the possibility of retraining for a job that requires minimal physical output, such as clerical or deskwork.
Getting a Pension
If you don’t qualify for retraining, then you may qualify for a pension. Your pension attorney will discuss all the scenarios in which retraining may or may not be an option. Even if you don’t qualify for retraining, insurers will actively look for other reasons to deny pension because paying out benefits is very expensive. This is why it’s so important to have a competent lawyer on your side.
Need a Pension Attorney in Warm Beach?
Do you require legal consultation? Contact Dale Wagner Law in Stanwood for your initial consultation. Get the service you need to tip the odds in your favor when filing a pension claim, which can get complex and sophisticated without a legal representative on your side.
Warm Beach Pension Attorney
Happily serving the communities of Stanwood, Arlington, Mt. Vernon, Marysville, Camano, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Everett, Mukilteo, Monroe, Sultan, Anacortes, Warm Beach, Gold Bar, and Darrington
Posted on June 14, 2021 | Published by Ignite Local | Related Local Business