May 2020
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Tips and Tricks for Working From Home 3 Ways to Maintain Productivity
As I write this, many of us are still working from home. While it's highly convenient for some to work through their task lists at home, not seeing family members and coworkers is challenging and causes others to feel lonely, unproductive, and worried. If you fall into this latter group or simply want to streamline your working habits at home, here are some ways to stay healthy and productive. Create a Routine First, keep up with your daily schedule to ensure your routine is consistent. For example, if you usually work out in the morning, call your family at lunch, and go for a walk in the evenings, build your schedule to include those activities (even if you have to modify them). Additionally, outlining what you need to accomplish each day gives you a better understanding of your bandwidth. With a realistic time frame for projects, you can finish tasks on time and stay on top of everything.
with your office's internal communication program to let others know when you’re available for questions or diligently working. This way, your peers know when to reach out, and you don’t have to address work issues while you’re off the clock. If working with these programs is new to you, take some time to familiarize yourself with them so you don’t lower your productivity. Designate aWorkspace It is important to try to maintain some work-life balance, even while working from home, so setting up shop on the kitchen counter or in the living room isn’t the best idea. Despite your family’s best efforts, there will inevitably be distractions throughout the day as people grab a snack or fold the laundry. It is best to create a “home office” for yourself in a spare room, bedroom, or walk-in closet so you can have a distraction-free zone. It is also important to have all of the office supplies you need at home, including pens, printer ink, and notepads. During the pandemic, we’re still serving clients without a change in quality and promptness. To do this, OAS is providing evaluations for clients using common video apps (Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime) and telephone conferencing to ensure discovery deadlines aremet. Our staff is also performing online vocational aptitude testing to ensure that cases are still going through without interruption. You can reach out anytime at 800-292-1919 or via email at JudyLandolfi@oasinc. org to talk with an experienced life care planner or employability expert. From there, we will send a proposal containing our experts' professional qualifications, our fee schedule, and a sample report.
During the pandemic, we’re still serving clients without a change in quality and promptness. To do this, OAS is providing evaluations for clients using common video apps (Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime) and telephone conferencing to ensure discovery deadlines are met.
Maintain Communication It’s common for companies to use some form of collaboration or messaging program. When out of your brick-and-mortar office, use the "status" tool available
— Edmond Provder
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Client Progress HowWill You Determine Your Loss of Earnings? Our clients and their families are the strongest people in the world for what they have to go through. They handle their accidents with such grace, and their perseverance is something to marvel at. Because of this, we like to showcase the progress our clients have made in their situations and look at what they had to push through to make that progress. One family we worked with had an infant who was born prematurely, which led to permanent brain damage due to surgery. The child was born in April 2012 and, three months later, returned to the hospital for an emergency hernia procedure. Just a week after that, the baby’s parents brought her in again for a reoccurring bulge. At this point, the baby was intubated and underwent emergency surgery once more. During the procedure, the child sustained a brain injury, resulting in chronic static encephalopathy. This led to the girl experiencing motor control issues, seizures, vision problems, and difficulty learning. The lawyers found that the baby had been improperly intubated, and the hospital staff hadn’t monitored her breathing or oxygen levels. During the case, the family’s representatives had to establish the child’s lost future earnings, which can be difficult to determine due to the child’s age. However, a vocational expert can determine a child’s potential lost earnings by utilizing labor market data. This information can help piece together how much financing will be needed for the
child to live comfortably. The team representing the family then worked with OAS to create a cost-of-life care and rehab plan.
With the help of Occupational Assessment Services, the family was able to reach a settlement of $6.5 million. Now, the child is 7 years old and receives therapy from her school district. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your own case, reach out anytime at 800-292-1919 to talk with an experienced life care planner.
How OAS’s Vocational Experts Can Help Define Alimony
A vocational expert will also conduct a local labor market survey of the jobs available in the spouse’s area to determine how much those jobs pay. Salaries for these jobs are then compared to the average earnings in their community. All of this information assists in establishing a spouse’s earning capacity, which impacts the amount of alimony set. If you have any questions or concerns about your separation, reach out any time at 800-292-1919 to talk with an experienced employability expert.
A divorce can be challenging to navigate, especially when determining alimony. According to Corporate Finance Institute, there are four main factors to consider. First, there’s the potential future income of each spouse. Second, the couple's standard of living during the marriage must be factored in. Third, there’s the length of the marriage. Fourth is the age of each spouse at the time of divorce. There are many other factors in addition to these that might come into play, so it’s easy to see why alimony is always negotiated. Luckily, an employment expert, also known as a vocational expert, can help clarify these factors for alimony decisions. Vocational experts are increasingly being consulted in divorce cases. When you're going through a separation, a vocational expert can be one of the most valuable investments you make because they can determine the earning capacity of both parties involved and help increase or decrease alimony payments. In some cases, a spouse may try to argue that they need alimony payments because they don’t have a high enough earning capacity. A vocational expert can evaluate the spouse in question to determine their actual earning capacity. During this evaluation, the expert will address the spouse’s work experience, level of education, and any medical limitations. Additionally, the expert can administer vocational aptitude tests to assess the spouse’s skills. The expert then evaluates the transferability of these skills. Basically, a vocational expert will grade your spouse’s skill level, which can make a big difference in ensuring your alimony is fair.
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The Power of Vocational Experts in Spinal Cord Injury Cases Factoring Damages in Spinal Cord Injury Cases
Spinal cord injuries often cause lifelong, severe disabilities and are traumatic for injured individuals and their families. Plus, these cases are sensitive, complicated matters that require many experts to prove damages. To maintain their well- being, victims with spinal cord injuries need caregivers, rehabilitation services, and various future medical treatments. An experienced attorney knows that a vocational expert and life care planner can help demonstrate these needs to jurors. Someone with a spinal cord injury can claim various types of damages, including loss of earning capacity. Survivors who retain upper body function may be able to work, but it’s usually at a part-time or lower-paying job. Many spinal cord injury survivors cannot return to the type of work they once did. Those that do usually must go through several months or years of recovery first. To emphasize the severity of the victim’s damages, a vocational expert typically shows the contrast between how much the survivor would have made without experiencing their accident compared to what they can make after it. This monetary amount will depend on the job the injured person held before the injury. For instance, if the survivor was not working before the injury but was a stay-at- home parent taking care of children, the current amount to hire someone to do those household services will be factored into their earnings.
pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Edmond Provder, a certified rehabilitation counselor, has decades of experience assisting in spinal cord injury claims. Mr. Provder is the owner of Occupational Assessment Services Inc., one of the top businesses providing vocational expert services in America. For further information, contact OAS at 800-292-1919.
In addition to the loss of earning capacity, other factors will be considered in the damages portion of the personal injury lawsuit, such as life care costs,
Create an Unforgettable Mother’s Day
mind. When you’ve finished cleaning, you can bond over some of her childhood favorites to finish off the day.
Mothers are often the rock of the family and take care of all their loved ones without expecting any thanks. But now is the perfect time to find creative ways to show them your appreciation, especially in light of the current situation we’re all in. Sure, they would enjoy a lovely gift, but what means the most is not the money you spend; it’s the memories you share together. Here are some fun ways you to can make this Mother’s Day a memory both you and your mom will cherish. Sweep and Stream In the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day, ask your mom what her most annoying household chores are and figure out her favorite TV shows and movies. You can cleverly find this out by asking her friends and other family members or by seeing what she’s watching if you share a streaming account. Then on Mother’s Day, surprise her with a day of total relaxation. While you handle her pesky chores, she can enjoy all her pop culture favorites without anything else on her
Rock OutWith Karaoke If your mom is a Meatloaf fan or a veteran of the Kiss army, hosting a Guitar Hero marathon or a karaoke night will make it her best Mother’s Day yet! Bring all your loved ones over to belt out their best Gene Simmons-level singing. (Or loop them in virtually if social distancing guidelines are still in place.) Make sure to organize all the music according to your mom’s top songs. This activity is sure to create memories everyone will recall for years to come. Best of all, your mom can relax without the worry of cleaning up later since you’re hosting!
How are you spending Mother’s Day? Let us know the next time we chat! Have a happy Mother’s Day everyone!
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300-3 Route 17 South, 4-A, Lodi, NJ 07644 800-292-1919 | www.oasinc.org
This Edition
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Tips and Tricks for Working From Home
Client Progress How OAS’s Vocational Experts Can Help Define Alimony The Power of Vocational Experts in Spinal Cord Injury Cases Create Unforgettable Mother’s Day Memories
Are You Documenting Your Damages?
Are You Documenting Your Damages?
The Benefits of a Life Care Plan
Based on the information, a plan for future life care is developed. Detailed yearly costs are provided in the following areas: home care or facility care, future medical care, medical equipment needs, prosthetics, drug supply needs, transportation, architectural renovations, home furnishings, recreational equipment, and the cost of potential medical complications. A vocation evaluation is included in the plans for future life care that asses the employability and the loss of earning capacity for the victim. The life care plan is easy to read and details the cost of each service to care for the victim to their maximum physical, educational, and vocational levels. It’s the best objective method to document the total cost of damages in these cases. So, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your own case and how to prepare a life care plan, reach out as soon as possible. We will work with you and your client to ensure you’re properly taken care of. We have offices in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. We also offer videoconferencing for remote access nationwide. You can call us anytime at 800-292-1919 to talk with an experienced life care planner or employability expert. From there, we will send a proposal containing the experts’ professional qualifications, our fee schedule, and a sample report.
When a life-altering accident occurs, you need as much documentation as possible to build a case for damages. The
other party will use everything in their power to negate your claims, including your evidence or lack thereof. A life care plan can help document your damages to strengthen your case, and this resource recently helped us out in a case we were involved in. It was amedical malpractice case involving an infant whowas deprived of oxygen at birth. The child’s injuries resulted in brain damage, cerebral palsy, and a respiratory deficiency. As a result, the child requires 24-hour nursing care and is dependent on a ventilator. We developed a comprehensive life care plan that includes the cost of services in the local area. After creating the plan, the self-insured hospital tendered $3 million to be used in a structured settlement. This eventually led to a $25 million verdict. Now, the baby’s family can look toward the future knowing she will be properly taken care of for the rest of her life. Life care plans begin with a review of the victim’s medical, educational, and income records. The next step is to conduct a standardized planning interview with the client and their family. In addition, an extensive assessment of their living environment is done. Finally, if necessary, interviews with treating physicians, therapists, and educational staff are done.
— Edmond Provder
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