Category: Case Spotlights

In January 2015, Attorney Randall Mansour’s client filed her claim for Social Security Disability benefits, seeking retroactive payments back to February 2013, when she was no longer able to work. She is a veteran who served in the Army for six years. Following discharge, she worked to help other veterans as a peer support specialist before her own PTSD-related symptoms became too severe to allow her to continue.

While her initial claim for benefits was denied as is quite often the case, Mr. Mansour represented her throughout the appeal process and during her hearing initially scheduled for February 2017. Unfortunately, while she had been patiently waiting for her court date and a chance at obtaining disability benefits, the claimant was unable to attend her hearing due to her mental state. This date so happened to be the same time that her doctors, at the Department of Veterans Affairs, recommended that she be admitted for inpatient psychiatric treatment; she willingly complied.

Attorney Mansour obtained and submitted the necessary documentation confirming her treatment and his request for an adjournment was granted. Her case was continued for a June 2017 hearing following release from her inpatient stay. Two months after the hearing, the Judge issued an Unfavorable decision, denying her case. Mr. Mansour promptly appealed the denial to the Appeals Council. After yet another denial and appeal, this time to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Mr. Mansour not only continued to keep his client informed on the process, he made sure to be especially mindful of her mental health – ensuring she felt heard and supported throughout.

While the process for obtaining disability benefits can be long, potentially involving appeal after appeal and seemingly endless mounds of paperwork, an attorney experienced in the disability process who compassionately and zealously advocates for their clients can make all the difference. Fortunately, in this case, the U.S. District Court ultimately agreed with the many errors of the lower court’s decision and issued a Remand Order. While this decision required another hearing, it offered another possibility to secure her long overdue benefits. Mr. Mansour represented her again during the remand hearing on August 15, 2019 and submitted all updated evidence.

In this hearing, a Medical Expert (ME) was present to testify and Randall was again prepared. He obtained additional testimony and cross-examined the medical expert during the hearing. The ME and the Judge agreed with Mr. Mansour’s theory that his client’s PTSD has been severe since February 2013 and medically equal the new PTSD Listings outlined by the Social Security Administration, resulting in an award of more than 6 years of back-pay, future monthly payments and entitlement to Medicare.

If you or a loved one is unable to work full-time due to your medical condition(s), whether you are looking to apply or have already been denied, you can call and speak with one of our attorneys to help you win the benefits you deserve. We will fight alongside with you to make sure you receive the benefits you deserve. Call us today to schedule your free consultation. 800-838-1100.

Attorney Mandy Kelly recently received a decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) granting service-connected VA disability benefits to her client – a decision long overdue for the veteran. This decision awarded the client future monthly benefits in addition to an award of more than 30 years of back-pay benefits dating all the way back to 1986. In this case, the veteran first filed for benefits immediately after being discharged from the military, but was initially denied.  He served in the Army from November 1979 through November 1982 during which time he had reported suffering injuries related to his back and neck as well as headaches. While the personnel records, documenting reports of these injuries and symptoms during his service, were in his file all along, the VA’s denial indicated that his conditions were not related to service. The veteran’s entrance examination documents that he was healthy with no significant medical history or pain prior to becoming a U.S. soldier.

In order to qualify for VA service-connected disability benefits, the veteran must establish the ‘nexus’ or the link that demonstrates their condition(s) incurred in, was caused by, or aggravated by their time in service. In this case, our client felt defeated not only because he knew that his injuries were directly linked to his time in service, but also because he never actually received a decision on his initial claim. He admits feeling as though the VA just forgot about him. Thereafter, he did what we find that many of our veterans do without an attorney: give-up on their claim.

There is no doubt that in the military, our service members have a tough mindset with the mentality to “suck it up” – often leading to a lack of care or treatment that they deserve. Moreover, upon returning home, most veterans are left in the dark, unsure of what benefits they could be entitled to and how to go about the process.

After years of suffering through the pain with trials upon trials of different medications and treatment, our client’s pain and associated headaches only became worse. Eventually, in 2011, he decided to finally give the VA disability application process another try, the veteran refiled for benefits in 2011 and was denied.  With his denial in hand, he decided to hire an attorney and reached out to Mandy Kelly for help with the appeals process.  Attorney Kelly, with Disability Law Group, represented the veteran at his hearing before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA).

During the hearing, Mandy argued that her client’s back and neck conditions, with headaches, were a result of his time in service and she presented the relevant evidence she obtained to help prove his case. The BVA Judge agreed and she acknowledged that the veteran had never received notification of his first 1986 denial of benefits. Ultimately, the Judge found, based on Mandy’s arguments in court, that there existed a due process error and, consequently, reopened the previous decision.  This decision allowed for the veteran to receive his retroactive service-connected disability benefits to paid back to 1986 and continuing on.

If you or your loved one have been fighting with the VA for benefits that are overdue, you can count on Disability Law Group and our experienced team of caring attorneys and staff. Disability is all we do. Call us today to schedule your free consultation at 800.838.1100 or 800.VET.1100.

During her hearing on May 9, 2019 in Lansing, Michigan, before a federally-appointed Social Security Administrative Law Judge, our client walked in prepared and confident – not because she had been through the process before in 2016 but in spite of that. This time around, she walked in to court alongside her attorney, Erika Riggs, with Disability Law Group. Not only did she know what to expect, but she had piece of mind knowing that Mrs. Riggs and her firm had obtained every piece of evidence needed dating back to when she became disabled and unable to work, including statements from her doctors detailing her condition and work-related limitations. Unfortunately, she did not feel the same sense of comfort and care during her 2016 hearing which resulted in an Unfavorable decision, denying her the disability benefits she worked hard for and deserved. She knew she was disabled since 2014 when she was no longer able to do her job in the medical field, or other work full-time, but that prior decision found otherwise.

Prior to hiring Mrs. Riggs, she had a disability hearing in 2016 with an attorney at a different firm who never appealed the 2016 decision from the Judge denying her claim. She felt left in the dark and decided to hire a different attorney, starting from scratch, hoping to find someone with more expertise and compassion. She hired Mrs. Riggs who helped her at every step of the process, reassuring her along the way and helping her feel at ease about what to expect next.

When it was time for her hearing in 2019, Mrs. Riggs respectfully and zealously advocated for her client, advising the Judge that the previous decision was not only unfair, but contrary to the law. Erika motioned to re-open the 2016 Unfavorable Decision from a different Judge based on clear legal error in accordance with 20 CFR 404.988. The Judge agreed and issued a Fully Favorable Decision in June of 2019, re-opening the prior 2016 decision with a finding of disability dating back to July of 2014. Not only does this decision mean more than 4 and a half years of back pay benefits for the client in addition to the monthly amount and Medicare coverage, it meant validation of her disability and that her fight for relief was finally at an end.

At Disability Law Group, disability is all we do. Our partners, Erika Riggs, Mandy Kelly, and Randall Mansour, work closely with our team of experienced and caring staff to ensure that every client feels heard and knows that they matter. Disability benefits provide a critical lifeline for people who are no longer able to work and earn an income to provide for themselves and their families. We know how complicated and overwhelming the process can be for any person, especially when balancing the many doctor appointments and treatment needed. If you or someone you know is in need of disability benefits, either from Social Security or the Department of Veterans Affairs, you can turn to Disability Law Group to help you win the benefits deserved. Call us today to speak with an experienced attorney who will listen and help you at every stage, whether you have already been denied or are only thinking about the disability process. Consultations are always free and we do not collect a fee unless you win.