Congratulations to Jon Stewart who spearheaded a long and hard fought battle to win medical and disability benefits for veterans who breathed smoke from burn pits during their service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Although not widely known, virtually all of our service people and contractors stationed in the…
I would like to take a moment to reflect on the humble beginning that I came from and how the efforts of many people contributed to my ability to make a better life for my family. It’s a bit of a long read but please stay with me because I…
By Andriana Garrido, paralegal at Jo Ann Hoffman and Associates *Names have been changed and faces blurred to protect the individuals involved. I took a trip out to Iraq in July 2021, and was introduced to Moe, a remarkable Iraqi individual that risked his life to serve the US Army.…
TRAVEL WITH US TO IRAQ IN THIS STORY – PART 1 By Andriana Garrido, paralegal at Attorneys Jo Ann Hoffman and Associates When we think of Veterans serving our country we usually think of an American-born hero fighting the frontlines in Iraq or Afghanistan. We don’t think of the…
post-trau·mat·ic stress dis·or·der noun MEDICINE a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world. If you are a widow…
When computing the claimant’s Average Weekly Wage, “AWW” one must include “concurrent employment” if applicable. Fla. Stat. § 440.02(27). “Concurrent” is a term left undefined by Florida Workers’ Compensation Law, but case law suggests it means a “second job” or “moonlighting” that is expected to continue. Cato Corp. v. Stuart,…
You’re driving home from work and stop for yet another red light when suddenly the car behind you slams right into your vehicle. You just want to get home, so you agree to exchange phone numbers and be on your way. You can deal with this later, right? NO. You…
Once you or your attorney has filed your claim for benefits under the Defense Base Act for an injury you sustained during your employment with a DBA contractor, everything that you say or do can and will be used against you. The most important thing to remember when going through…
Dear Injured Client, We want you to know that we are here for you. We feel your pain from your physical or psychological injury. We feel your anxiety and emotional worry about how you will be able to work. We know you wake up at night worried about how you…
We Help Injured Contractors who worked in Afghanistan We know this Afghanistan war has been drawn out since the USA first deployed in the fall of 2001. That is 20 years ago. USA Military and contractors are still hard at work trying to evacuate our contract workers and Americans. If…