Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Will My Disability Qualify?
Social Security Disability (SSD) can be a life-altering, or even life-saving, tool for many people and their families. If you have become disabled recently, or have been living with a disability for a long time, you may find considerable financial relief in pursuing SSD benefits. However, not all impairments fall under the Social Security… Read More »
Veterans Affairs Medical Malpractice
Unfortunately, even the finest Veterans Affairs physicians, surgeons, nurses, medical technicians, and hospital staff make mistakes. Whether those mistakes were caused by carelessness, recklessness, or a simple slip of the fingers or computer error, the victims of medical malpractice are forced to live with the results. The financial damages caused by such an error… Read More »
Acquiring Social Security Disability for Your Child
Social Security Disability (SSD) is a tool that adults and children with disabilities can utilize to assist them financially. While most people associate disability payments with injured working adults, children can also receive benefits if the parents are disabled and receiving SSD benefits, or if their child has a disability. If you are an… Read More »
Social Security: Who Can Receive Your Benefits
A very large percentage of people who receive Social Security disability benefits also have dependents. Dependents may be spouses, divorced spouses, children, or other family members. However, the only people that can qualify for benefits on your record, according to the Social Security Administration, are the following: Spouse; Divorced spouse; Children; Disabled children; and… Read More »
Am I Covered by New York’s Workers’ Compensation?
Immigrant dairy farm workers are reporting intimidation and injuries, according to New York Upstate, but are farm workers’ eligible for workers’ compensation? The answer to that is yes, most likely. Most New York workers are covered by workers’ compensation. If you work for a for-profit company or business, whether you are a full-time, part-time,… Read More »
Benefit Cuts Under New York Workers’ Compensation Reform
New York has had a strong workers’ compensation program for a number of years, and with New York’s recent budget approval, more good news is on the way for injured workers, or so proponents of the reform would have you believe. Reform has rarely meant good change, for the worker anyways. Often, workers’ compensation… Read More »
VA Benefits for Rape Victims
While many people and the media portray the horrors of battle as the most traumatic and psychologically scarring aspect of military service, for many it is not. Tens of thousands of women and men leave the service having been sexually traumatized. In fact, over 20,000 service members were sexually assaulted in 2014 alone. And,… Read More »
The Four Levels of Appealing a Social Security Disability Denial
Being accepted into the Social Security Administration’s Disability program is complicated and the odds are not in your favor, even if you have an obvious and severe physical or psychological disability that keeps you from working at your full capacity. According to the Social Security Administration, during the 10-year period from 2001 through 2010,… Read More »
Study Finds New York Construction Fatalities on the Rise
The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) released a study entitled “Deadly Skyline” in early 2017 that has found disturbing evidence of employer safety violations that lead to worker deaths. The Committee found that construction deaths are increasing, non-union construction sites are more dangerous than union sites, Latino workers face higher… Read More »
When Can I Sue My Employer?
In most circumstances, the workers’ compensation system does not allow for an employee to sue their employer. However, this is not always the case. In 2015, a construction worker was killed and others were seriously injured when a wall collapsed on the construction site in Brooklyn. According to Eyewitness News ABC 7 New York,… Read More »