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An Inside View of the Veterans Benefits Claims Process

After ten years of the United States’ military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, most Americans have heard about the types of wounds that Veterans are facing-and surviving-with head injuries being the most common. What most people don’t know about is the staggering number of injuries that are taking place.

The Congressional Research Service, a branch of the Federation of American Scientists, issued a report in September 2010, stating that, as of that month, Operations New Dawn, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom had resulted in a total of 178,000 brain injuries, 87,000 cases of PTSD and 1,600 amputations. See: Veterans Disability Benefits

While modern medical technology is saving more lives than ever before in military history, the result is that our men and women who serve overseas are often left with debilitating, if not lifetime, health problems. In addition to the physical and emotional burdens they must carry, returning Veterans frequently find themselves shocked by the financial impact of recovery. In many cases, the veterans may need an advocate, such as a veterans benefits lawyer, to help them pursue the compensation and benefits they deserve.

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Over the last few years, an interesting trend among motorcycle riders has developed :
Riders are getting older and more affluent.

There’s a good chance that the motorcyclist you see approaching you as you steer your car is likely to have gray hair and a top-of-the-line bike. The image of the mature, well-heeled rider flies in the face of the misconception many folks have about riders as young, speed demons. See: File Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit Massachusetts

A recent study by the consumer research firm Scarborough, which examines the spending habits of the aging Baby Boomer generation, finds that 7 percent of boomers live in a household with a motorcycle. At the same time, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that 54 percent of motorcyclists killed in crashes in 2009 were age 40 or older. Ten year earlier, that age group accounted for 41 percent of the fatal motorcycle accidents.

Focusing on a younger group of riders, in 2009 riders under 30 years old accounted for 27 percent of all motorcycle accident fatalities in the United States, according to the NHTSA data. In 2000, 35 percent of the total motorcyclists killed in crashes were under 30.

If you or a loved one is in a motorcycle accident, you will need a personal injury lawyer to protect your rights. As motorcycle accident attorneys in Boston, the lawyers at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone understand how devastating serious injuries can be..

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Another batch of sales reps has sued Novo Nordisk ($NVO) for overtime. The would-be class action suit, which was filed by two reps, is seeking $70 million in overtime pay. Like so many other lawsuits–pending and otherwise–this one alleges a drugmaker misclassified its reps as exempt salaried workers when they should have been eligible for overtime.

As Reuters reports, it’s actually the second overtime suit lodged against the Danish drugmaker. A California firm sued Novo on behalf of one group of reps last summer. This time, it’s a New York firm–Sanford Wittels & Heisler–that’s been involved in several other pharma overtime actions. See: medical malpractice attorneys Philadelphia pa

The new lawsuit comes at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments in another overtime case. After different appeals courts came up with differing interpretations of the Fair Labor Standards Act–and how it applies to pharma reps–the Supreme Court agreed to consider an appeal in GlaxoSmithKline’s ($GSK) overtime case. Former GSK reps ended up on the wrong side of a Circuit Court ruling–in the Ninth Circuit, which has tended to side with the companies–and the Supremes took up the case.

A host of leading drugmakers have been sued by their reps for back overtime pay. Some companies have prevailed–Bayer, Roche ($RHHBY) and Wyeth, PM Live points out–but others, including Novartis ($NVS), face payouts in the tens of millions. If the Supreme Court contradicts the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, more reps with overtime complaints are likely to turn up in court.

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We recently came across a number of our readers that had rear end collisions which have occurred during the winter months. We found a number of people were out of work or had an injury but had no idea what to do.

They said , Clients often ask if they need a lawyer if they are in an accident of have been rear ended. See: car accident lawyer Fayetteville, NC

The recent case of Bronson v. Hansel is a clear example of why you need a lawyer .

Trudi Bronson was involved in an auto accident. She had a property damage claim against the driver and she had a neck injury. She accepted $2000.00 after negotiations about the value of the damage to her vehicle.

Although she maintained that the insurance adjuster told her the Release she was given to sign was for the property damage only, the Release contained additional language concerning injuries.

Trudi had an MRI of her neck shortly thereafter and she was found to have a serious neck injury – a herniated disc in her neck. Her injury claim was dismissed by the Judge and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal, even though two of the Judges on the panel believed she had signed the Release under the mistaken belief that she was only Releasing her property damage claim.

We all sign documents without reading the small print (I recall house closings in particular). You have to call an attorney immediately after an accident to protect your rights.

In this case the insurance company could have allowed her to bring her claim. Instead the insurance company chose to take advantage of a very questionable Release obtained from her before she had a lawyer. After an auto accident call a lawyer. The initial consultation is usually without charge and levels the playing field with an insurance company.

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