Posts Tagged compensation specialist attorney

Questions about Ohio Workers’ Comp – Ohio Job Injury?

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Mike Gruhin, Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney, has the answers to your work injury questions.

Have you suffered an on the job injury?  You need a Board Certified Ohio Work Comp Specialist Attorney on your side.  Experienced Ohio workers’ compensation lawyers from Gruhin & Gruhin can help you seek fair compensation for your injuries.  Filing a workers’ compensation claim is a complicated process. The BWC would lead you to believe that you don’t need an attorney and that’s how it saves money on claim payment. Most work injury victims just don’t know what to do or what benefits are available for their injuries. And, that’s where Gruhin & Gruhin and Mike Gruhin come to the rescue.  When you get hurt in a , contact the Cleveland, Ohio Law Firm with the winning record. Check out the actual client testimonials. Let our clients tell you the story of Gruhin & Gruhin.  Call Gruhin & Gruhin today! There are time limits.  Discuss your claim with a Board Certified Work Comp Specialist Attorney. It doesn’t cost any more to have a Certified Specialist on your side, so why choose an attorney who takes a work comp case, but isn’t Board Certified?  Please feel free to review some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from our clients, which you can read below.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ohio Workers’ Compensation

Q: What on the job injuries does workers’ compensation cover?

A: Workers’ compensation covers almost any on the job injury, including long-term diseases resulting from your work (asbestos, etc.), pre-existing injuries that were exacerbated by an accident at your job, and even injuries caused by a third party while on the job.

Q: Who pays my workers’ compensation benefits?

A: Ohio law requires that virtually all employers purchase workers’ compensation insurance coverage from the state fund or insure themselves. Therefore, either the state fund or your employer will be responsible for paying your compensation.

Q: How long will it take to get benefits?

A: This depends on the specifics of your injury, whether your employer is self-insured or state funded, where you received medical treatment, and many other factors.  Having an experienced Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney on your side will help you receive benefits much faster, as you can be sure that your attorney has filed all the necessary paperwork to keep your claim moving.  Ultimately, you must trust that your attorney is doing everything that he or she can to ensure that you receive benefits as quickly as possible.

Q: Do I have to go back to work before I am ready?

A: Ultimately, your doctor’s advice determines when you are ready to go back to work.  When you suffer an injury on the job, your employer or your employer’s third party administrator will likely suggest their doctor.  Contact your Board Certified Ohio Work Comp Specialist Attorney and get a referral to a BWC Certified Medical Provider to give you the medical care you need and properly fill out all of the complex BWC paperwork on your behalf.  You are free to go to any OhioBWC Certified Provider.  You don’t  have to return to work until your doctor believes you’re ready or until your employer has a light duty job that your doctor believes you can handle. However, even if your doctor feels you might not be ready to return to work, the Industrial Commission can find that you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement. While you are unable to work, you are entitled to receive temporary total disability compensation.

Q: Do I have to file my workers’ compensation claim within a certain time limit?

A: There is a two-year statute of limitations for filing a workers’ compensation claim.  If you do not file your claim within two years of your injury, you will not be able to seek compensation.  If you are in an on the job accident, you should move quickly to seek legal representation and file your claim so that you are sure to receive the benefits you need.

Q: The BWC denied my workers’ compensation claim.  Is there anything I can do?

A:  Call Mike Gruhin, Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney. You need a specialist in your corner to appeal your claim and attend the hearing at the Ohio Industrial Commission.  You should absolutely hire a Board Certified Specialist Attorney. Don’t make the mistake of just hiring any lawyer who ‘does’ work comp claims.  You need a legal professional,  a Board Certified Specialist, to gather and present the evidence necessary to prove that you were hurt on the job and deserve compensation.  Don’t attempt to appeal a denied workers’ compensation claim alone.

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I Got Hurt on the Job and I Need Legal Help – How do I find an Attorney?

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Do Lawyers Specialize in Work Comp?  Here’s a short ‘how-to’ guide on what you should look for when you need to Hire an Ohio Workers’ Comp Lawyer.

You’ve been injured in a workplace accident, now what? In today’s OhioBWC climate you should retain an Ohio workers’ comp attorney. And, it’s critically important find a lawyer who is Board Certified in Ohio Workers’ Compensation.

There’s a lot of attorneys out there who take on Ohio Work Comp Claims, but they might only be doing a few. Think about your family doctor. You go to him/her for chest pains and the doctor sends you to a board certified medical specialist. In that instance, a cadiologist.

Well, when you get hurt on the job and need an Ohio work comp lawyer, don’t you think you should look for a board certified Ohio work comp specialist attorney to take on your claim?

Before hiring a work comp lawyer, there are things to think about.

Call several attorneys who take Ohio Workers’ Compensation Claims. You should interview the lawyer, either by phone or in person, before making your  hiring decision. Check out their websites. See if there are client testimonials.

Interviewing Ohio Workers’ Comp Lawyers

After gathering the name of one or more Ohio workers’ comp lawyers, call each one to set up an initial consultation. This is a brief interview where you can introduce yourself and talk about your on-the-job accident. Make sure that you ask each lawyer you call if he/she is a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney. If not, it’s probably because he/she does not do that much work comp.

You can accomplish many goals at the initial consultation. You’ll learn about the attorney’s background, skills, and strategy. You’ll be able to get some feedback about the strength of your Ohio workers’ comp claim. You will be able to ‘get a feel’ as to whether this is the attorney you want to represent your legal interests. Remember, your decision will affect you and your family.

Get a free initial consultation. Ask if the lawyer charges for the initial meeting. If he/she does, call someone else.  Initial consultations should be free of charge.

Whether you are in Cleveland, Lorain, Elyria, Akron, Canton or any other part of Ohio, make sure you prepare ahead of time for your free initial consultation. Bring your questions with you, along with some writing materials to record the answers and bring any documents you have received from your injury claim.

Background & Experience

Ask the Ohio workers’ comp attorney about his or her background and experience. Questions can include:

    • Are you a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney?
    • How long have you been practicing Ohio Workers’ Compensation law?
    • Do you take other kinds of cases? If so, what kinds? How many Ohio Work Comp Claims do you handle at any given time?
    • Have you had a client before with a workplace accident similar to mine or with injuries like mine?

To understand or ‘get a feel’ of how the lawyer approaches Ohio workers’ comp claims, think about this:

  • How do you approach handling Ohio workers’ comp claims?
  • Do you aggressively seek as many allowances/awards as are available?
  • What allowances/awards are available in an Ohio Work Comp Claim?
  • When it comes to making a decision in my comp claim, do you communicate with the client?  Do you present various options to the client in the decision making process?
  • Do you tell the client what you would do in the claim, if it was your injury, using your experience?

You should also ask the attorney what his/her opinion and assessment of the claim might be.

Fees

You’ve probably wondered how much an Ohio workers’ comp lawyer costs. The fee is usually a contingency fee. So getting a Board Certified Ohio Work Comp Specialist Attorney won’t cost more than the general practitioner who happens to take in work comp claims along with any other legal issue.  But you should ask how each lawyer you call handles fees. You should ask if the attorney charges by the hour? If so, how much?

What is the contingency percentage you take of funds I receive. What funds are subject to contingency fees?

Hiring an Ohio Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Once you’ve talked or met with each attorney on your list, it’s time to choose one to represent you. If you only interviewed one and he or she was fantastic or if you interviewed several but one was a real stand-out, than your decision is easy.

After you have gone through the interview process, you should have the answer to the most important question: Which is the best attorney to handle your Ohio workers’ compensation claim? When you have this answer, you are ready to move forward in your efforts to get compensation for your workplace accident and injuries.

There are many nuances to a BWC claim. There are time limits and taking the wrong course of action can severely impact on any Ohio BWC claim.

Call Mike Gruhin, The Comp Specialist, to discuss any aspect of your Ohio Workers’ Compensation Claim. Act now, Call now!

Additional Resources

Gruhin & Gruhin, Attorneys
Gruhin & Gruhin Facebook Fan Page
Mike Gruhin’s Personal Facebook Page

© 2011, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney’s. All rights reserved.

© 2011, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

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Voluntary Abandonment & Its Impact on Temporary Total Disability Compensation

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Don’t make a mistake and take the wrong action in your Ohio BWC claim. You should discuss your claim with a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney.

Under current Ohio Law, employees who voluntarily resign employment, even though the employee has an active and ongoing workers’ compensation claim, are ineligible to receive temporary total disability compensation even though, after the voluntary abandonment, the injured worker underwent surgery for the allowed conditions in the Ohio Workers’ Compensation claim. State ex rel. Lackey v. Indus. Comm., 129 Ohio St.3d 119, 2011-Ohio-3089.

Based on Ohio Law, before an injured worker decides to terminate employment, either by retiring or quitting, it is critical to discuss this decision with a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney. Without a thorough review of your situation with a Certified Specialist you could run into serious trouble in obtaining certain money benefits (Temporary Total Disability-TTD, Wage Loss-WL, Permanent Total Disability-PTD) in your OhioBWC claim.

The Ohio Supreme Court stated that temporary total disability must arise from a condition that was caused by the industrial injury and, to be payable, where the injured worker has not voluntarily left or abandoned the work force.

Additionally, Ohio Law holds that termination of an employee’s employment for cause (violation of work rule, etc.)  is also considered a voluntary abandonment of employment, precluding the payment of TTD.

Thus, the only way an injured worker can obtain TTD benefits once a voluntary abandonment of employment has been found to have taken place is to find other employment and re-enter the job market. Once re-entry has taken place, should the injured worker then become unable to perform job duties as a direct result of the allowed BWC claim conditions and is prevented from performing his/her job duties, at the new place of employment, due to the originally allowed conditions, then the injured worker would again be eligible to seek TTD benefits (or, in the appropriate circumstances, Permanent Total Disability – PTD benfits) in the previously allowed workers’ comp claim.

However, should a new injury or an aggravation to the prior condition take place at the new place of employment, this situation must be discussed with a Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney. There are many nuances to a BWC claim. There are time limits and taking the wrong course of action can severely impact on any Ohio BWC claim.

Call Mike Gruhin, The Comp Specialist, to discuss any aspect of your Ohio Workers’ Compensation Claim. Act now, Call now!

Additional Resources

Gruhin & Gruhin, Attorneys
Gruhin & Gruhin Facebook Fan Page

Mike Gruhin’s Personal Facebook Page

© 2011, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

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Calculating Ohio Workers’ Compensation Wage Loss

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You’ve been injured on the job, but because of your injury restrictions you’re unable to return to work at your former position or former hours.

What can you do to protect yourself when you receive a lower rate of pay. What can you do about the difference between your pre-injury earnings and post-injury reduced wages? Read on . . . . Read the rest of this entry »

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Why Do I Need an Attorney If I’m Already Getting BWC Checks?

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Written by:

Why Do I Need an Attorney If I’m Already Getting BWC Checks? This was a question asked by an injured worker today. No one wants to pay for something he/she can do on their own. That’s common sense. However, the OhioBWC is not the place where you want to get “on the job training”.  The OhioBWC has its lawyers to protect its interests. And, the employer has attorneys to protect its interests as well. Who is looking out for you legal interests when you go it alone. So, the answer to the question is simple – this is what a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney will do for you, even if you are already receiving your BWC checks (temporary total for being off work):

1) I make sure that your  claim is allowed for the complete and correct allowance – many times it is not when you go it alone or with a non-specialist attorney. Doctors, who diagnose a sprain/strain injury, many times do not want to take the time to seek additional allowances in the claim.  The BWC is a paper intensive entity. Getting new conditions requires written reports, potential Industrial Commission hearings, etc.  But you need to know that additional allowances can mean more compensation for the injured worker and additional and/or specialist medical treatment.

2)  I make sure that your wages have been set correctly by the BWC.  An inured worker is paid based on wages earned from ALL employers during the 52 week period prior to the injury. If you were unemployed for part of the time, there is a special circumstances statute that can be used to seek an increase to the setting of your average weekly wage. If granted, you can seek additional weekly money compensation in your claim while you are off work due to the injury. An increase in your wage computation may also increase your injury money award.

3)   There are many other reasons to get a Board Certified Ohio Work Comp attorney to represent you in your claim.

To find out more, call Mike Gruhin, Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney.  But don’t wait – there are time limits.

If you are the victim of an Ohio Work Injury, call a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney to represent you.  Protect yourself and your family.

Additional Resources

Gruhin & Gruhin, Attorneys
Gruhin & Gruhin Facebook Fan Page

Mike Gruhin’s Personal Facebook Page

 

© 2011, Gruhin & Gruhin Attorney's. All rights reserved.

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MIKE GRUHIN – Ohio Work Comp Specialist – Amending Your Claim Allowance

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Your Ohio Work Comp Claim is allowed, but now you find out that you have additional conditions or flow through injuries – How can you add the condition(s) to the claim? Read on . . . . Read the rest of this entry »

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Mike Gruhin – Ohio Work Comp Specialist – Will My PTD Checks Go Up Over Time?

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Many people wonder if the Permanent Total Disability Compensation they receive will ever go up over time. The answer is maybe. . . .  For more information, read on. Read the rest of this entry »

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Mike Gruhin – Ohio Work Comp Specialist – Finding the right attorney for my Ohio Work Comp Claim

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The best way to find an attorney for your Ohio Workers’ Compensation claim is look for a Board Certified OhioBWC Specialist Attorney to represent your interests.

A certified specialist usually limits his/her practice of law to workers’ compensation. Why would you want an attorney that does ‘everything’ when you can get a specialist to represent you at the same contingency percentage.  Call around and discuss your claim with a certified specialist. All initial consultations should be free, with no obligation to hire the lawyer. You can contact Mike Gruhin to discuss your claim, get information on the specialist way of handling your claim, and all at no cost or obligation.

Mike will explain Ohio Workers’ Compensation as it relates to the facts you give. Don’t wait, there are time limits.

  • Need information on your rights if you are injured on the job Learn about your rights to compensation, benefits owed or obtainable, returning to work on restrictions or to full duty, getting the top dollar awards for all benefits available. Contact Mike Gruhin, Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist attorney. Get the answers to all of your questions.
  • Construction Accidents – Learn about workplace safety rights, remedies available to construction workers hurt on-site. Find out if you have a Safety Violation Claim in addition to your OhioBWC claim. Learn how to determine if there are any 3rd party claims you can make for work site injuries. Ask about the specifics of  recovering for scaffold injuries, trench cave ins, machine injuries, amputations, etc. Contact Mike Gruhin, Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist attorney. Get the answers to all of your questions.
  • In-Depth Resources – Find in depth answers to your specific claim or injury from Mike Gruhin. You need a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney advising you on your claim, your rights, your benefits.  Contact Mike Gruhin, Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist attorney. Get the answers to all of your questions.

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Mike Gruhin – Ohio Work Comp Specialist – How to Find a BWC Certified Medical Provider

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Sometimes injured workers’ move out of state or to a distant location in Ohio. The question then becomes, “where do I find a BWC medical provider” so I can still get the treatment I need. And, so the OhioBWC will still pay the medical bills.

You should discuss this with your Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist Attorney. It’s important that your attorney knows if you plan to move. The transition of your medical care should be arranged before you move.

You can check the OhioBWC website for a BWC Certified Provider. The list of providers covers all medical specialty areas and has lists of doctors throughout the country who are OhioBWC Certified Providers. Just follow this link for the provider list.

Remember, when you get hurt on the job, seek the advice of a Board Certified Ohio Workers’ Compensation Specialist AttorneyCall Mike Gruhin for answers to your OhioBWC questions. Check out our website and our Face Book pages.

Check out the Gruhin & Gruhin Client Video Testimonials. Find out how hard Gruhin & Gruhin fights for its clients.

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Mike Gruhin – Board Certified Ohio Work Comp Specialist – Fighting for Injured Workers’ Compensation

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When a person is injured on the job, getting a work comp claim allowed can be a fight. Employers deny claims and fight the claim allowance in order to keep their rates down. Self insured employers are more litigious than other employers. Even the BWC has its doctors to render opinions of whether a claim condition should be allowed as a work accident claim.  And both employers and the BWC have attorneys to protect their legal interests.  In this economic climate, an injured worker just can’t go it alone. Read the rest of this entry »

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