What is the Role of an Attorney?

The following are the three primary roles of an attorney in the system. The first is to act essentially as a claims administrator for the injured worker while the claim is pending. This means handling routine problems prior to the injured worker becoming permanent and stationary, such as obtaining authorization for medical treatment, and handling delays in late payments.

The second role is to insure that there are appropriate medical evaluations to determine the extent of disability. This is either by the treating physician, a physician agreed on by the attorneys or one chosen through the medical evaluation process. All resolutions are based on the extent of disability, and obtaining a complete final evaluation by a physician who is sympathetic to the injured worker is pivotal.

The third role is to bring the claim to finalization and fully setting forth to the injured worker what they will receive and the extent of any residual benefits.