In the 2010 ADA in Your Community poll, 835 people ranked the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act in communities across Indiana.  The survey participants included people with disabilities, their family members and advocates.

The ADA-Indiana, the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services, and the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community worked together to conduct the survey, analyze the results, and prepare a report card.

The results of the survey showed that participants believe some of the biggest issues for ADA implementation in Indiana include making more employment opportunities available, providing accessible transportation, educating businesses and government officials about the ADA, and providing accommodations for employment.  Overall, Indiana received a grade of a ‘C’ for the report card.

If you or someone you love needs to file for long-term disability, contact the Indiana long-term disability filing attorneys of Hankey Law Office P.C. at 800-5203633 to learn more about your rights.

Today, the U.S. Department of Labor launched an evaluation effort to review the Disability Program Navigator Initiative called “Use of One-Stops by Social Security Disability Beneficiaries in Four States Implementing Disability Program Navigator Initiative”.

The evaluation is to determine if the public workforce system, specifically the One-Stop Career Center system, is helping people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income to find jobs.  The study is being held in Iowa, Maryland, Colorado, and Oregon using data from 2002 to 2007.

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Jane Oates stated, “The public workforce investment system’s role in serving people with disabilities, and reducing unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities, is critically important.  For the first time, we have data clearly documenting that thousands of Social Security disability beneficiaries are seeking and receiving services from One-Stop Career Centers in four states”.

If you or someone you know is experiencing trouble receiving long-term disability benefits, contact the Indiana long-term disability filing attorneys of Hankey Law Office P.C. at 800-520-3633 to learn more about your rights.

The Fresno firm Explore General Inc. is facing a civil lawsuit filed by the Department of Labor for violating ERISA.  The Employee Retirement Income Security Act was adopted in 1974 to protect employees covered by private health and pension plans.

The Department of Labor filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California accusing the firm’s owner, Jaime Gonzalez, and plan administrator, Paul Gong, of mixing employee contributions with the company’s general assets, and then using the money to pay for company expenses.  The lawsuit claims that Gonzalez and Gong failed to place $70,000 of employee contributions into the 401K fund.

If you or someone you know has an ERISA claim to file, contact the Indiana ERISA lawyers of Hankey Law Office P.C. at 800-520-3633 to learn more about your rights.

This week, the Veterans Administration agreed to provide veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder with the appropriate financial support.  Before, military documentation of a PTSD diagnosis was necessary when filing for financial assistance from the VA.  Now, veterans only need proof that they served in a war zone and an honorable discharge documentation.

The Department of Defense estimates almost twenty percent of military personnel will return home with some degree of post-traumatic stress.

Specific dates these changes will go into affect have not been offered.  However, secretary of the VA, Eric Shinseki, will release more details later this month.

If you or someone you love is considering filing for veteran’s benefits, contact the Indiana veterans’ affairs disability benefits lawyers of Hankey Law Office P.C. at 800-520-3633 to learn more about your rights.

The Indianapolis Social Security Administration will become one of the first 15 offices in the country to begin electronically processing the health records of disability claims applicants.  Patients’ health records will be sent through the Indiana Network for Patient Care, providing connection to more than 60 regional medical institutions.  The new technology will allow data to be available within minutes.

Officials say that aside from speeding up claims processing, the system will perform “intelligent analysis” of health records to alert people of significant information.  The current system insists that patients list their physicians on their claims, but sometimes patients are unaware of which doctors treated them during hospital stays.  With the new system, all of this information will be taken care of digitally.

If you or someone you know is in the process of applying for long-term disability insurance and benefits, contact the Indiana long-term disability attorneys of the Charles D. Hankey Law Office, P.C. by calling 317-634-8565.

Two years ago, the Crane Learning and Employment Center in Greene County, Indiana began a program designed to help re-train disabled young veterans for work. The employment center joined forces with the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane to train them and then assist them in finding a job. The program is funded by several organizations including Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the McCormick Foundation of Chicago. It has, thus far, helped approximately 60 veterans and their families adjust to civilian life. The successful program has drawn attention from high-ranking officials in the Navy who believe that the project is now ready to expand.

Phase two of the project begins in January and is expected to last two years. One of the main focuses of phase two is to stretch out their services more widely so that they can help more people in more areas. The center hopes to find new employment opportunities for veterans throughout the Indianapolis area.

If you or someone you know is a disabled veteran, contact the Indiana veterans’ affairs disability benefits attorneys of the Hankey Law Office, P.C. by calling 800-520-3633.

After an injury, many people wonder when is the right time to apply for long-term disability benefits.

It is important to apply for long term disability benefits as soon as possible after an injury. This is because it can take months, and in some cases, even years, to complete the entire process and begin receiving payments. Additionally, if your claim is denied, you may be forced to wait even longer as your appeal is processed. When applying for long-term disability benefits, you may apply either through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or through Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

To learn more about the process of applying for long-term disability insurance and benefits, contact the Indiana long-term disability attorneys of the Law Office of Charles D. Hankey at 800-520-3633.

Long-term disability coverage can be obtained in a variety of ways. Individuals may obtain long-term disability coverage through individual plans or group plans.

Group plans may be offered through an employer or professional organization. However, individuals may have trouble receiving long-term disability coverage if they have received treatment for a serious medical condition in the past 10 years.

If you or anyone you know has had legal difficulties obtaining long-term disability coverage, contact the Indiana long-term disability attorneys of the Charles D. Hankey Law Office, P.C., at 800-520-3633.

When individuals file claims for long-term disability benefits, the insurance company will review the claim and make a decision. If the insurance company denies the claim, then individuals with long-term disabilities have a number of options.

One, they could send a letter or contact their insurance provider to contest the decision. Two, they can obtain the insurance file from the insurance provider to use as evidence for a possible appeal. And three, they could hire an attorney who could provide experienced legal representation for their claim.

If you or anyone you know has had problems with your long-term disability claim, contact the Indiana long-term disability filing attorneys of Charles D. Hankey Law Office, P.C., at 800-520-3633.

A case filed against insurance company Unum will proceed to a trial by jury after Unum’s motion for summary judgment, a motion that would remove a full jury from the trial.

The defendant claimed that the plaintiff, the policy-holder, did not heed their provisions that included the plaintiff seeking appropriate medical care before drawing on his policy. The plaintiff, in return, provided that his condition, bilateral post traumatic carpal tunnel syndromes, did not allow him to work, therefore engaging his policies with Unum. Knowing his responsibility to seek medical care, he consulted a physician, who told him that, given his health, corrective surgery was not the appropriate option.

The court ruled that, although corrective surgery was possible, if the plaintiff’s physician refused the surgery due to possible complications, the policy language did not permit a reconditioning of the plaintiff’s eligibility to receive benefits. The court added that opinions concerning the physician’s role are not suitable for a trial without a jury.

Knowing your legal rights is the best measure to getting what compensation you could be eligible for. If you or someone you love needs legal advice on how to deal with long-term disability insurance, contact the Indiana disability litigation lawyers at the Charles D. Hankey Law Office, P.C., by calling 800-520-3633 today.