Holland & Usry, PA - September 2022

Jane injured her neck and right shoulder while lifting a heavy box at a kitchen where she worked as a grill cook between Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina. When she came to see me, she stated that her biggest fear — being taken advantage of by her insurance agency — brought her to us, and her fear was well-founded. You could say we earned Jane’s settlement despite the absence of a critical factor from some bigger workers’ comp settlements: high medical impairment ratings. Because we didn’t have that, our strategy focused on the permanent work restrictions revealed by a functional capacity evaluation, plus a vocational evaluation I obtained to show her injuries left her unemployable due to her unique skill set and background. As a result of her injuries, Jane required an extensive shoulder operation, including a repair to her torn rotator cuff. She also suffered serious spinal injuries in her cervical spine, located in her neck. She was diagnosed with a cervical disk herniation, which caused cervical radiculopathy — intense pain and weakness throughout her arms. Unfortunately, the extent of her injury was just too much for medical science to fix and even now, hounding pain and weakness just don’t go away for Jane. The insurance company inexplicably denied her physical therapy for her wounded neck. Thus, I requested a hearing before a workers’ compensation commissioner to order the treatment, and before the hearing took place, opposing counsel announced he’d secured the insurance company’s agreement to provide the treatment. A Settled Workers’ Comp Case: Going the Extra Mile for Our Clients

Because Jane’s permanent impairment rating given by her doctors didn’t match the extent of her injuries, I had to use her functional capacity evaluation (FCE) to prove her permanent work restrictions.

The FCE findings were as follows:

• She gave sincere effort. • Despite that effort, she could not meet the physical demand requirements of her job. • She had severe restrictions. She could only lift or carry up to 15 pounds. She couldn’t climb stairs or ladders. Yet we needed more evidence. A vocational evaluation revealed that Jane lacked basic skills to make her employable outside the physically intensive work she’d done her entire life. She reads and does math on an elementary school level. She has no computer skills. The evaluator concluded she’s totally disabled, meaning there are no jobs out there for her skills with her limitations. This formed the backbone of our strategy for a settlement based on eligibility for permanent and total disability. A vocational evaluation proved Jane’s permanent restrictions left her virtually unemployable, so the relatively low impairment ratings were no longer a factor. We were able to secure a settlement of $75,000 that satisfied Jane’s financial needs and allowed her to take control of her own health care instead of having to go through the workers’ compensation system.

Good News

Goulash, Hungary’s National Dish

Inspired by Delish.com

Ingredients

“What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” –Luke 12:3 “We may make a lot of plans, but the Lord will do what he has decided.” –Proverbs 19:21

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1 yellow onion, chopped • 2 cloves of garlic, minced • 1lb ground beef • Salt and pepper, to taste • 1 tbsp tomato paste • 1 1/4 cups beef broth • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce

• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes • 1 tsp Italian seasoning • 1 tsp paprika • 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese • Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and wait for it to heat. 2. Once heated, add onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 3. Next, add the ground beef to the skillet, and cook until no longer pink. Drain the grease, then add salt and pepper. 4. Stir in the tomato paste, beef broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Season with Italian seasoning and paprika. Add macaroni to the skillet. 5. Bring mixture to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. Stir the pasta occasionally. 6. Mix in the cheese and remove the heat.

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