2016

For those who work in the coal industry, you may have already heard about the dangers to your health that comes from the ever-present coal dust in the areas where you live and work. If you now have a lung disorder that you feel was caused by your exposure to coal dust as a result of your work, you may be entitled to get workers' compensation insurance. You should know that it may not be too late, even if your work in the coal industry has ended.

If you're currently receiving disability benefits through the Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs, you may be concerned about how (or whether) the political upheaval of the last year may affect your future benefits. While President-elect Trump has announced some sweeping tax changes that could provide some relief to retired individuals receiving Social Security benefits, these tax changes can also mean a fundamental shift in the structure of how the Social Security program is funded.

According to the National Safety Council, over 1,000 people were injured at amusement parks in 2014. After suffering an injury at an amusement park, seeking medical care should be your first priority. At some point though, the park needs to be held accountable for your damages. If you were hurt at a park, here is what you need to know.   Why Is the Amusement Park Liable? Even though you know the amusement park is liable for your injuries, you have to prove it to the park's insurance company.

Divorcing couples who are also contemplating filing for bankruptcy are not that uncommon. Often financial problems lead to divorce, so proceeding with these two major life events at the same time often makes sense. When it comes to the timing of these two legal maneuvers, however, what you do first matters quite a bit. Read on to learn more about which should be done first and why. Dealing with debt

If you're considering a path that leads toward divorce, you may be wondering exactly what that would entail. There are several flavors of divorce that you can choose between, and one of the least antagonistic and stressful types is mediated divorce. You're lucky if you're in a situation where mediated divorce will work out. If you think you are, here are five stages of the process once you've decided to start in on the process of obtaining a divorce.

Most people just assume that if they are injured while at work, their employer's workers' comp insurance will cover them for their medical expenses and a portion of their usual wages. While in most cases this assumption is valid, sometimes your claim goes awry. Dealing with an injury, being unable to work and earn money and having medical bills pile up quickly can turn a bad situation into a nightmare. You may need to take swift action to get your claim reinstated, so read on to learn about a few denial scenarios and how to fight back.

As part of your workers compensation case, your employer's insurance company can request that you submit to an independent medical evaluation, or IME. You must have this exam done if you hope to be successful with your claim, and it cannot be performed by your personal physician. The insurance company will suggest a particular doctor and you'll have to work with a medical examination scheduler to find a time that works for both of you.

As you age, it is important to start planning the distribution of your estate. If you have a large estate and want to avoid excessive estate taxes when you pass, you should take advantage of the annual exclusion rule by giving away cars to your loved ones. This will not only help save you money but also provide people you care about with great transportation. What Is the Exemption? The annual exclusion rule is actually pretty simple to understand but is something that few people take the time to learn about.

If you have sustained injuries in a car accident that was the fault of the other party, you should be entitled to compensation for the pain, suffering, and loss of income that are a result of your injuries. Your lawyer will do most of the legwork for your personal injury case, such as negotiate with the other party's insurance company and submit pertinent documents to the court. There are a few things you can do to support your auto accident attorney and optimize the chance that you'll win a settlement in your personal injury case.

If you've recently suffered the ultimate loss that can befall a parent, the death of your child, you may still be trying to wrap your mind around a life without your child in it. The loss you feel can be just as intense even after your child has reached adulthood and moved out of your home, and if he or she left minor children behind, you may be worried about whether you'll be able to continue to see your grandchildren now that you no longer have a blood relationship with one of their parents.

If you have ended a relationship in which children were involved, but the children were not yours, you may want to continue to have a relationship with the kids, just not the other parent. Unfortunately, this can be a legal nightmare, and you will need to have an experienced custody attorney to help you. Depending on the situation, here are a few rights you may be awarded. Visitation The legal parent has the right to determine who can and who cannot spend time with the children.

If you have properties in two states, you are looking at the possibility of an ancillary probate, which means the execution of more than one probate process. That would be a waste of resources. Fortunately, there are ways of avoiding probate in the second state to minimize the assets due to your beneficiaries and ensure they get it in time. Here are three examples of what you can do to achieve that:  

If you have accrued extensive debt and have been unable to maintain payments or you are sure that you will not be able to make the appropriate payments in the future, it is a good idea to consider declaring Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Unfortunately, if you file bankruptcy, you could easily be expected to give up your vehicle in order for its value to be sold to offset your debt. Conversely, you could also find that the lender will demand the vehicle back because you will no longer be making the necessary payments.

If you have been involved in a serious auto accident, you likely filed a claim with your insurance company hoping to receive financial compensation for the damages sustained in the accident. Although most claims are processed quickly and efficiently, there are instances where policyholders and the insurance company disagree when it comes to payment. Here are three things you can do to handle disputes with your insurance company more efficiently in the future.

After being approved for Social Security disability benefits, your case is subject to occasional reviews. The reviews are designed to determine if you are still eligible to receive benefits. Depending on the results of the review, you could lose benefits or have them reduced. If you have a review upcoming, here is what you need to know.   Why Are Benefits Denied or Reduced? During the review, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, basically reviews every aspect of your claim again.

If you were bitten by a dog, then should consider filing a lawsuit against the owner of the dog. However, not every lawsuit is created equal and every state has different laws that will determine just how successfully your lawsuit will be. To help you out, here are some of the critical laws and rules that you should be aware of when it comes to dog bite lawsuits in Alabama:

Every employee is entitled to employment rights.  Employment rights encompass various issues regarding termination, work environment and safety, wages and overtime pay and other issues that are pertinent to any employee. To help you better understand what your rights are, check out the information below. An employer isn't allowed to withhold your check if you are fired. If you are fired from a position, your employer cannot withhold your check.  This is illegal.

If you are currently seeking workers compensation, you should know that the insurance company might be looking into it more than you think. If the insurance company thinks that there is something amiss about your claim, they might hire a private investigator -- either an independent investigator or someone who works within the insurance company -- to look into things. In today's world, this can even include checking out your social media profiles to try to fight your case.

When injuries happen in schools, there are often misconceptions over who can sue whom and under what circumstances. Schools often are exempt from liability because governmental agencies have sovereign immunity. Fortunately, there are still some situations in which you can sue the school and win. How Sovereign Immunity Works Government agencies often have exceptions to sovereign immunity and will allow themselves to be sued if they have been very negligent. Also, if the school has an insurance policy that provides coverage for lawsuits, this can make it more likely that you will be allowed to sue the school.