Fields Law Firm

A rehabilitation assistant had a great career and loved her work. Unfortunately, over time she developed fibromyalgia, cervical degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease, and arthritis. Although her job was similar in nature to a receptionist, she was forced to stop working due to her disabilities.

Worried about her future, she applied for both Short Term and Long Term Disability benefits from her disability insurer, as well as social security disability benefits from the government. Regrettably, her Social Security Disability application was denied. To make matters worse, although the disability insurance company initially granted her Short Term Disability benefits, she received a denial letter in the mail after receiving benefits for only a few months terminating both the Short Term benefits she was living on and denying the Long Term Disability benefits she had applied for.

Our client was a Marine Corps Veteran who worked for a telecommunications company. He climbed towers to lift and install heavy radio, fiber optics, and cell network infrastructure around the Midwest. He lived in Illinois, but his work took him across the country, including almost a year in Minnesota.

At one work site in Minnesota, he had to maneuver hundreds of pounds of heavy cable through a narrow passage and hurt his left shoulder badly. Because he was away from home and his crew was behind on projects, he was not able to get treatment right away, so he continued to work. At another work site, our client and other employees had to balance a 600-pound radio cabinet, but it fell. This accident exacerbated his shoulder problem and caused torn ligaments in both wrists. He could no longer work so he returned home to Illinois for treatment.