Landau Injury Law

Pay for plenty of parking BEFORE going upstairs to your Social Security Disability Hearing in Washington, D.C. advises Herndon disability lawyer Doug Landau. You can do this online or at the underground lot to the right

Injured, disabled, rejected by the Federal Government – these conditions do not make for a happy person.  An unhappy client is not a good thing.  So, when a woman disabled by spinal stenosis after a terrible car crash came to the Landau Law Shop to help with her Social Security Disability claim, we had our work cut out for us.

This widowed mother of 2 was unhappy because the lawyer she had hoped would help her with her car crash case settled the case for an amount that did not come close to compensating her for all the harms and losses she sustained.  This lawyer, who advertises heavily, did not take the case to trial, (more…)

“Not fancy, just friendly,” is the saying at the Landau Law Shop.  We recognize that it is important to put people at ease.  To answer their questions.  If we cannot answer their tough questions, then we go to the places where we can get answers.

Herndon workers comp and injury case lawyer Doug Landau at the Bills Barbecue Richmond before meeting a client around the corner from the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission ("VWCC") headquarters

Doug Landau is not afraid to go to court.  The Herndon injury lawyer had hoped to visit the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission (“VWCC”) last week in order to look at the official file with a widow who was looking for answers.  Since the VWCC was closed, Doug Landau met with a client at the Bill’s Barbecue Restaurant around the corner from the Comp Commission’s DMV Drive Headquarters.  Landau has (more…)

Herndon lawyer Doug Landau during a Fredericksburg Virginia "pit stop" at a Route 3 Starbucks for a worker who was struck by a "distracted driver" in Fairfax County VA

The “Advanced Workers Compensation” meeting in Richmond was the reason for Virginia workers comp lawyer Doug Landau’s trip South on Friday, but in order to make his injured clients’ lives a little easier, he arranges to meet with them closer to home when possible.  Many clients find any kind of travel physically difficult because of their disability.  Because lawyer Landau travels up and down I-95, he is able to accommodate the needs of injured workers, their families and friends.  While his first choice is to meet at the “Landau Law Shop,” because it has all of the equipment, staff and technology the Herndon injury lawyer relies upon to successfully assist those who call upon ABRAMS LANDAU for help, he routinely meets clients at court, other law offices and even coffee shops, restaurants and sports venues !

In addition to meeting several injured workers on the way to the Virginia Capitol to participate with the best workers comp lawyers in the state, Landau also registered for the annual Richmond Marathon Weekend 8km. (5 mile) road race.  If you or someone you know or care for has been injured as the result of a car, truck, bicycle or motorcycle crash and there are questions about what laws apply, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once.  We can meet with you in our accessible buildings here in Herndon, or closer to you if you cannot travel.

Yesterday we discussed “amending the onset date” in a Social Security disability case.  Today we will examine last week’s case where our client had been denied benefits several times, first in Georgia and then in District of Columbia. While this middle aged woman had several serious medical conditions, she had been denied Federal disability benefits and was unable to afford continuing medical care as she was no longer employed.  For over 12 years she had been a substitute teacher.  But because she could work when she felt well enough to do so, and often only worked for a few hours when she did show up, we argued that she did not engage in “substantial gainful employment.”  Our client was paid for full days even when she only worked an hour or two.

Federal law does not allow for Social Security Disability benefits if the claimant makes too much money from work.  After many years of school service, our client was paid based upon her years of service, so her earnings exceeded the Federal earnings limit.  The Social Security team at ABRAMS LANDAU put together legal research on earnings and “Unsuccessful work attempts.”  Our Herndon office also filed a brief with the judge asking that the “date of onset” be amended to take out the quarters that the claimant earned too much.  When we arrived in Washington, D.C., the questioning was difficult, and the claimant and her family were afraid of another “unfavorable” opinion.  But with the agreement to amend the onset date, and the proof of the minimal requirements of her part time job, we were able to get favorable Social Security disability decision, with no delays, appeals or uncertainty.

If you or someone you know or care for is disabled from work, contact an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer to help you and your family and answer your questions about what laws apply.  Because there are strict time deadlines in Federal disability cases, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once.

Just as in dating, sometimes the date you start with is not the one you end up with !

Herndon Social Security lawyer Doug Landau (shown in front of the Washington DC hearing Office) & his clients will "amend the onset date" of their disability in order to secure a favorable decision from an ALJ (Administrative Law Judge)

Unrepresented Social Security Disability claimants often pick a “date of onset” for their disability on their original applications that lead to denial after denial by the Federal Government.  While a disabled workers may have stopped working on a particular day due to an on the job injury or occupational disease, that date may not be supported by the objective medical evidence.  Just because a wage earner stops working on “date X,” does not mean that the Social Security Administration will find that they should receive Disability Income benefits from that date.  The rules for getting Federal Disability benefits are quite strict.

At the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, we see Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William families who have been denied Social Security despite what appear to be debilitating injuries.  Sometimes the medical conditions that disable our clients from working become totaling disabling months and even years after they stop working.  In these cases, when we get the case before an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”), our investigation (more…)

Herndon Virginia workers comp lawyer Doug Landau shares consumer group concern over the proposed Medco and Express Scripts merger, as the new giant pharmacy benefits manager could restrict the access to new drugs and give even more control to Virginia workers compensation insurance companies over injured workers and their families

If a proposed merger between Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and Express Scripts takes place, consumer groups fear that patients’ choices would be restricted and costs of medicine would be increased.  The proposed merger of two of the three largest pharmacy-benefit managers (“PBMs”) is the subject of a U.S. House antitrust subcommittee hearing. The hearing will examine the merger’s likely effect on PBM competition and health-care costs.  Five consumer-advocacy groups sent a joint letter to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.  The consumer groups are: Consumers Union—the publisher of Consumer Reports—as well as Consumer Federation of America, National Consumers League, U.S. Public Interest Research Groups and the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices.

The groups want the government to examine the merger’s likely effect on PBM competition and health-care costs according to the Wall Street Journal.  A combined Express Scripts-Medco would “substantially” reduce competition, giving the merged company an “incredible dominance” of the fast-growing specialty pharmacy market, according to the letter.  A merger could also (more…)

Another successful Social Security Disability Hearing for a happy family in Washington, D.C. Herndon Virginia disability lawyer Doug Landau "holding the bag" for his client after presenting this Texan's case to the Federal Government's Administrative Law Judge this month

The Social Security Administration has released the new numbers for 2012. The Federal Government’s disability program has increased the amounts necessary for work determinations, the payments for Supplemental Income and the maximum taxable earnings. Earnings of less than $12,120 per year may not be viewed as “substantial” such that a wage earner would be deemed ineligible for monthly Federal disability payments.

Of significance to the Reston Herndon Social Security Disability law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, was the the amount necessary for “Substantial Gainful Activity” (or “SGA”). SGA is essentially work for pay, as opposed to interest earned on a bank account, lottery winnings, investments, sheltered workshop pay or stock or other investment income. SGA has been increased to $1010/month, up from $1,000 in 2011. (more…)

When workers are injured performing tasks their employers have trained them to do, the “safety net” of workers compensation is supposed to provide for their medical care, medications and a portion of their wage loss. This is especially true when they are on their employer’s premises helping co-workers save others from imminent harm. Courage in the face of a tornado’s 200 mph winds is something to be respected and honored. The EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri was among the nation’s worst ever. It killed 162 people and destroyed more than 7,000 homes. A Joplin Social Worker’s heroic acts have resulted in permanent injuries, disability from work and a denial from the workers compensation insurance company. (more…)

After Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords was wounded in a mass shooting that injured 12 people in January, doctors removed a portion of the left side of her skull to prevent her brain from swelling and to halt tissue damage.  This month the doctors used a hard plastic implant to repair a hole in Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ skull, according to news reports.

This is the latest milestone in her recovery from an assassination attempt.  Experts say the plastic skull implant will improve her quality of life.  The neurological specialists had to remove a portion of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain. The implant means Giffords no longer needs the protective helmets, one decorated with an Arizona flag, that she has used since the initial skull-removal procedure.  According to USA Today, the Memorial Hermann’s neuroscience institute surgeons intended to attach a computer-modeled artificial implant, not the actual piece of skull removed from Giffords head. The missing piece of Giffords’ skull has been described as a little bigger than the palm of one’s hand.

The reason this news story resonated with everyone at the Herndon law firm of Abrams Landau is because we were visited today by a client who had a piece offer skull removed at Fairfax Hospital after the swelling in her head caused by a slip and fall accident caused pressure on her brain.  This health care worker then spent time in the Mount Vernon Bridge Program regaining her ability to speak and perform other activities of daily living.  She wore a bicycle helmet until the neurosurgeon could put the piece of her skull, which had been kept in a special refrigerated, sterile unit, back in her head !  She has had several operations and has returned to work.  We hope that she continues to heal and help others.  If you have been sustained an injury to your head or skull, and would like assistance with a legal claim for Social Security Disability, Workers Compensation or a slip and fall or car crash case, please call our Herndon Law Shop today at 703-796-9555 or e-mail us.

Having just settled a case for a grocery store worker who lost two fingers to a motorized cutting blade at work, Herndon injury lawyer Doug Landau has helped many workers injured due to the lack of protective guards on saws.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) estimates there are an average of about 10 finger amputations a day, just from table saws used by consumers.  “The safety of table saws needs to be improved in a way that prevents school children in shop class and woodworkers from suffering these life-altering injuries,” CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum told USA TODAY.

The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission will call in the power-tool industry and the safety standards group to find out why more hasn’t been done to address the problem.  The CPSC estimates the cost to society of saw-related injuries is about $2 billion a year. (The industry has contested that figure in lawsuits.)  The companies face hundreds of lawsuits over injuries and at least 50 legal claims that a product called SawStop could have prevented the injuries. Last March, a jury awarded $1.5 million to a man who injured his fingers on a saw after plaintiff lawyers argued SawStop would have saved his hand.  If you or someone you care for has had fingers amputated or suffered injury as the result of a power saw accident, contact an experienced lawyer at once.  There are strict legal time limits to these claims, and valuable rights may be lost if the claim and its investigation are delayed.