DePaolo & Zadeikis Blog Posts

Your primary options for seeking compensation after being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver are filing an uninsured motorist claim with your insurer and pursuing a personal injury lawsuit against the uninsured driver if he or she was at fault. When you’re involved in an accident in Chicago, knowing that the at-fault driver’s insurance should pay for your damages may give you some peace of mind. Finding out the driver lacks insurance makes things incredibly stressful and overwhelming in an already challenging situation. Accidents caused by uninsured drivers can pose significant legal and financial challenges for all the parties involved. Below, you’ll learn more about what to do if you’re harmed in a crash caused by an uninsured driver in Illinois.

Medical malpractice can occur in many forms and at any stage of treatment, but what are common examples of medical malpractice? Surgical errors, diagnostic errors, medication mistakes, and birth injuries are some common forms of medical malpractice in Chicago. Understanding the types of negligence that healthcare providers commonly commit and the medical malpractice cases that can arise from the harm suffered will leave you in a better position to pursue legal action when you or a loved one sustains a medical injury.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in Chicago and the rest of Illinois are not subject to state tax, but you may have to pay federal income tax on them if your combined income is above certain thresholds. The rules governing the taxation of SSDI benefits can be confusing. Below, you’ll learn more about tax thresholds and regulations to help you identify whether your benefits are taxable and plan adequately to avoid unforeseen tax liabilities and paying more taxes than necessary.

What if the rideshare driver doesn’t have insurance? You can seek reimbursement for your damages in Chicago by filing an […]

An attorney can help you get SSDI back pay in Chicago by properly documenting the onset date of your disability, presenting a solid case for back pay, ensuring an accurate calculation process, and representing you in case of disputes. When your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim is approved, you may be entitled to monthly payments as well as back payments for the period before your approval date. An SSDI attorney will be crucial in proving you qualify for SSDI benefits and back pay.

An SSDI attorney helps you get benefits by ensuring your initial application is meticulously prepared, reducing your risk of making mistakes in the paperwork, gathering and providing compelling medical evidence, communicating with the Social Security Administration on your behalf, and providing representation during the appeals process. Although it’s not mandatory to hire an attorney to represent you in a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim, statistics show that doing so increases the chances of your claim getting approved.

When you’re injured due to a temporary dangerous condition in Chicago, you may have a viable personal injury case. The key to a favorable outcome is establishing that the property owner, tenant, or legal occupier was aware or should have been aware of the temporary unsafe condition that caused your accident. Cases involving temporary conditions pose unique challenges, such as the likelihood of the temporary hazard being cleaned up or fixed right after the incident.

If you were injured in a car accident in Chicago and you think you’re partly to blame, you may wonder, “What if I was partially at fault for my accident? Can I still receive compensation?” You can still file a personal injury claim to pursue compensation for your damages, thanks to the modified comparative negligence law applied in Illinois. The law allows you to receive compensation as long as you were less than 50% at fault for the crash.

Social Security disability programs have strict guidelines on requirements for receiving disability benefits in Chicago, including claimants having qualifying conditions for Social Security Disability. The Social Security Administration’s Blue Book lists the conditions eligible for disability and the criteria you must meet for each condition. You can still qualify with an unlisted condition if it’s similar to a listed condition. Understanding the qualifying conditions can help you navigate the disability claims process better and increase your chances of getting a successful outcome.

If you’re applying for disability benefits, a question you likely have is, “How much does Social Security Disability pay?” The amount of money you’ll receive will primarily depend on the type of disability benefits for which you qualify. Depending on the kind of benefits you apply for, other factors will come into play, such as your average lifetime earnings, whether you have other sources of income, and where you live. Below, you’ll learn how the SSA calculates benefit amounts, the maximum you could get, and the average monthly amounts in Chicago to give you a good idea of what to expect.