What Should You Do When You Face Criminal Charges?What Should You Do When You Face Criminal Charges?


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What Should You Do When You Face Criminal Charges?

I do my best to stay out trouble with the law. I avoid conflicts and try to help others do so as well. But a few years ago, trouble found me. My ex was quite angry with me after our breakup. Instead of moving on and finding someone else, my ex decided to frame me for something I didn't do. My ex called the authorities and filed abuse charges against me. I explained the situation to the police but they arrested me anyway. I later found out through my criminal attorney that this was illegal. It was my ex's word against mine at the time and I shouldn't have been arrested that day. After spending months clearing my name, I decided to help other victims of unfair crimes. If you need information on criminal law, read my blog. You don't have to fight injustice alone. Good luck.

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Four Signs That A Workers' Comp Insurer Isn't Playing Or Paying Fairly

Could a corrupt, lazy, or just plain inefficient workers' compensation insurer leave you worse off than you would be if you had regular medical care and didn't have to fight for approval every single step of the way? That's what several former Maryland firefighters and retired police officers believe has happened to them, and they allege that the motive was one of the most basic of all: greed.

How do you tell if your workers' compensation insurance company is playing fairly with you or just flat-out playing a game with your life? Here are some signs:

1. It takes an unreasonable amount of time to get any treatment approved.

What makes a wait "unreasonable" when you're waiting for a treatment to get approved? It depends on the circumstances of the case. For example, one of the firefighters from Montgomery County was forced to retire because of delays in treatment. He claims that MRI testing and doctor appointments were both delayed, but the biggest problem was that the insurance company waited more than 6 months to approve a neurosurgeon's request to replace a disc in the man's neck. By the time the surgery was finally approved, it had caused the two discs in his neck below his injury to utterly deteriorate.

2. Denials are left in the system for a long period of time.

If a case is going to be denied, there should be a reason that's clear to spot and the denial should process fairly quickly—unless the insurance company ignores the statements of the injured worker's own physicians and the county physician and then waits two years to deny the case. That's what happened with one of the Maryland police officers who suffered a back injury on the job. Her case is in arbitration now.

Some insurance companies may delay denying or paying a case as long as possible just so that their profit margin for the year stays strong or perhaps hoping that the injured worker will give up and find work despite the pain and limitations he or she suffers.

3. The insurance company pushes you to see their doctors when you aren't required.

Some states require you to go to the company doctor, chosen by the workers' comp insurer, some don't. In the states that don't require it, you can bet that the insurer will try to steer you to one of their doctors if they can. A doctor who is paid by your employer or their insurer has a conflict of interest—his or her paycheck is literally being signed by the person who wants to see you declared healthy and whole again as fast as possible.

It's always better to work with your own doctor instead of someone who has to balance his own interest in staying employed with your interest in getting better.

4. Surveillance of injured employees is routine.

There have been cases of what experts are calling "reflexive" surveillance, rather than surveillance that's done in reaction to a questionable claim or an allegation of fraud. If you hear that the insurance company your employer uses routinely puts all claimants under surveillance hoping to catch them doing something they supposedly can't, you're wise to be suspicious that you'll be under surveillance too. Some of the people doing the surveillance are expert at timing their film to show just what looks like the injured employee having a great time or doing something he or she can't—while conveniently editing out the parts of the tape that show the pain and suffering the employee is really feeling. For example, surveillance teams have been known to purposefully throw mail on the employee's grass, knowing that he or she will probably bend down to pick it up. They snap a photo and it looks like the employee can bend his or her back with no problem. They just make sure the camera doesn't show the grimace of pain on the employee's face as he or she moves, and they stop the take from rolling when the employee holds onto his or her back the whole way back up the walk out of pain.

If you suspect your employer's workers' comp company isn't playing or paying fairly, contact an attorney who offers workers comp services.