As the year winds down and we all look ahead at welcoming 2024, we would be remiss if we didn’t take the opportunity to highlight some of the more notable client successes from this past year, as shared by the team at Bross & Frankel:
Social Security Client Successes
“We successfully helped a former NFL player obtain social security benefits after being denied at the hearing level. Our work took us up to federal court, where we successfully argued that the Social Security Administration had failed to properly consider the numerous opinions in the record, instead improperly dismissing them for largely generic reasons simply because they were generated in connection with a different claim.
On remand, we took the additional step of obtaining an independent medical examination, something that is uncommon in “non-adversarial” Social Security cases, and succeeded in obtaining a Fully Favorable Decision from the Administrative Law Judge and secured over 7 years of retroactive benefits, closing a long and difficult fight with a win.”
Long-Term Disability Client Successes
“We obtained a reversal of a denial of LTD benefits by Prudential for a registered nurse who, unfortunately, had to leave work due to the onset of cognitive impairment following a surgery. In pursuing the appeal, our team obtained an updated neuropsychological evaluation to combat the review by Prudential that prior testing was invalid, in part, due to our client’s birth in a foreign country before immigrating to the United States at an early age and working in the nursing field for 40 years.
We were able to conclusively show the traumatic onset, and clear cognitive decline that would prevent our client from returning to work in the nursing field, or successfully adapting to other skilled work. We were also able to rebut the notion that her early childhood outside the United States had any impact on the otherwise valid testing that had been performed. The reversal provided important ongoing monthly benefits to the client and freed her to return her focus to her health and rehabilitation.”
Veterans Benefits Client Successes
“Our VA benefits team successfully obtained 100% total and permanent benefits secondary to individual unemployability for a veteran back to 2017. The veteran had been under-rated and out of work for many years. In order to succeed on his claim we fought up through the Board of Veterans’ Appeals receiving a remand based on an error to adequately consider the impact of numerous conditions on the veteran’s ability to work. At the hearing the veteran testified persuasively about the impact of his conditions, and his long struggle to maintain employment after his military service.
The award, which covered over 6 years of benefits resulted in roughly $140,000 in additional retroactive benefits, and a total of well over $200,000 in additional tax-free income for that period, helping the veteran get back on his feet, and wiping away years of debt accumulated while trying to navigate his service-connected disabilities.”
Personal Injury Client Successes
“We successfully overcame the Verbal Threshold requirements under NJSA 39:6A-8 for a motor vehicle accident claim for a client who sustained a relatively superficial facial laceration on the side of her face near her right ear.
The Verbal Threshold Law passed in 1988, and since amended restricts a motorists right to sue for injuries sustained in an accident in exchange for lower insurance premiums. There are limited exceptions to this law, namely death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, displaced fractures, loss of a fetus, or permanent injury other than scarring or disfigurement.
The strategy we used to overcome the Verbal Threshold was to have the client’s scar evaluated by a plastic surgeon, who provided an opinion regarding permanency and the cost of surgery to reduce the scar. We utilized the client’s youth to argue the significant impact of a facial scar on her life.
This medical opinion allowed us to obtain a $100,000 settlement for our client.”
Wondering if you qualify for disability? The attorneys at Bross & Frankel are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding a claim for Social Security benefits, long-term disability, veterans benefits, workers’ compensation, or unfair treatment by an employer. Receive a FREE claim review when you call (856) 795-8880 or use our online contact form. We look forward to speaking with you – and possibly featuring YOUR story as part of our 2024 client successes!
Rich Frankel is the managing partner of Bross & Frankel. He is a member of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania bars. He has focused exclusively on disability and social security benefits since 2005.
Mr. Frankel joined what is now Bross & Frankel after having watched his father struggle with disability, fighting a lengthy illness. Mr. Frankel founded the firm’s veteran’s law practice and substantially grew the social security disability practice, focusing Bross & Frankel’s ability to fight for all of the disability benefits available to his clients.
Mr. Frankel additionally fights for clients in court, obtaining frequent victories in Social Security appeals and against insurance companies in Federal court.