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 October
2008
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Why Are You Getting This Newsletter?
This free e-mail newsletter is sent to current and
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State Bar of Texas Seminar on Ethics
I was honored to be asked to participate in
a panel discussion on the Ethics of Legal
Blogs for the State Bar of Texas in
September.
The seminar was available live on the
Internet, and is now there at the Web site
of the State Bar of Texas for lawyers to
watch at any time (for a fee of $80).
The four-person panel discussed such issues
as how legal blogs differ from legal Web
sites, and the etiquette of blogging.
You can read my blogs at
Injury-And-Disability.com and at
Immigration-Law-Answers-Blog.com. Please
take a look -- you'll find a lot of helpful
information about personal injury law,
Social Security disability, and about
immigration law.
Free Legal Advice?
Yes, at Kraft &
Associates we are glad to provide our clients
and friends with free information on a variety
of subjects. If you want details about how to
lower your automobile insurance rates,
Texas Workers' Compensation law or
Social Security Disability claims, please
contact us and we will send you any of these
brochures without charge or obligation. |
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Suite 1300
2777 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 999-9999
(817) 999-9999
(800) 989-9999
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FOR THE RECORD |
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Don't Let Yourself Get Hooked By
Consumer Fraud
This article is excerpted from a portion of the Web site of the Texas Attorney General that is devoted to protecting senior citizens. But the information is important and relevant to people of all ages. Scams can occur in person or by telephone, but these days are much more likely to pop up on the Internet. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is not true.
Every day, Texans lose money to consumer frauds. It happens more ways than you can imagine. Decent, intelligent people are duped out of their life savings by smooth-talking, utterly unscrupulous crooks. These are people who will look you in the eye and lie.
You have been warned about mail fraud, telephone fraud, internet fraud and door-to-door fraud. But how will you know it when you see it? Whether they reach you by mail, by phone, by e-mail or by talking to you in person, they will give themselves away if you know what to look for. No matter what the bait they offer you, underneath it is a hook. Here are five hooks to watch for:
They contacted you. Think about it. If you look up a business and call to make an order, you know who is on the other end of the deal. With a con artist, all you know is who that person says he or she is. You are already at a huge disadvantage.
They dangle bait in front of you. It is almost always a large sum of money, like a prize or an easy loan, or a large income. It sounds so easy! But we all know that people don’t give away large sums of money so easily, or pay large incomes for nothing. Only in daydreams.
They want your personal information. Anytime someone tries to get your bank account number, Social Security Number, or other sensitive information, you should automatically be on red alert. Don’t do it.
First, you have to pay them. Don’t be blinded by the promise of a large sum of money in the future. If they are asking you to give them money first, back off. It is illegal for someone to require up-front payment before funding a loan or paying out a sweepstakes prize.
You have to wire money instead of mailing it. This is your last warning: if you are on the brink of wiring somebody money in order to get a prize or a loan, an inheritance or any other large sum of money, STOP! It’s a fraud. You are about to be robbed.
By mail, by phone or face to face, con artists dangle baited hooks in front of honest people every day of the week. It usually begins with an unsolicited contact from a company, individual or organization you never heard of. You do not know who the caller really is. Real lotteries don't call you to say you've won. You don't get grants without applying for them. You don’t get easy loans if you have bad credit. Real money is hard to get. It doesn't just come to you. But there are people who would like to have whatever money you have to lose. Don’t get hooked!
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| FOR
YOUR INFORMATION |
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Social Security
Administration Admits Challenges
In a recently announced "Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2008 - 2013" the Social Security Administration lists the challenges the agency faces. I agree with this list, although I might add a couple of items to it. The Social Security Administration's service to our clients is deteriorating, which is bad for our clients and bad for our law firm.Many of these challenges will require additional funding to resolve. Funding has never been easy for the Social Security Administration to obtain, and now with the massive Wall Street bailout plan looming, it may be impossible to get the money required to just stay even, much less to improve. Here is the list of challenges:
• Unacceptable hearings backlog
• Aging computer systems
• Complex and outdated disability process
• Threats to computer systems and personal information
• Geographic, generational, and cultural population shifts
• Loss of expertise as our employee retirements accelerate
• Increasing demand for service
• Limited public understanding of the role of Social Security benefits
• Increasing non-traditional workloads (e.g., Medicare and immigration)
• Increasing improper payments
• Limited resources
• Infrastructure costs rising well over the rate of inflation
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| FEATURED
EMPLOYEE |
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 Sonia
Juarez
New Case
Clerk
E-mail:
soniaj@kraftlaw.com
Ms. Juarez is a Dallas native who first
joined our law firm in 1988 as a
receptionist. She graduated from Thomas
Jefferson High School and attended
Executive Secretarial School. Ms. Juarez
has filled several positions with our firm
over the years and currently works as a
New Case Clerk. Ms. Juarez is fluent in
Spanish.
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| FEATURED
CASE |
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Our law
firm has
represented
many
Social
Security
disability
claimants
who
suffer
from
various
sleep
disorders.
The
Social
Security
Administration
recognizes
a
variety
of
causes
for
sleeping
disorders
including:
Sleep
Apnea,
Bi-Polar
Disorder,
and
Narcolepsy.
The
first
listing
is 3.10
for
Sleep
Related
Breathing
Disorders.
Generally
this
will be
sleep
apnea.
To
establish
a
disability
under
this
listing
Social
Security
is
looking
for one
of the
following:
A mean
pulmonary
artery
pressure
greater
than 40
mm Hg or
arterial
hypoxemia.
This
listing
is very
hard to
achieve.
A
better,
more
realistic
approach
is to
establish
functional
limitations
such as
daytime
sleepiness
and
difficulty
concentrating.
You
should
also
undergo
a sleep
study to
establish
the fact
that you
actually
have
sleep
apnea.
Remember
that
sleep
apnea
can
usually
be
effectively
treated
with the
use of a
C-PAP
machine,
so
before
seeking
disability
you
should
consult
with
your
doctor
about
treatment.
People
also can
have
difficulty
sleeping
caused
by
psychological
problems.
Often,
people
with
Bi-Polar
disorder
will
find
themselves
having
“racing”
thoughts
and
unable
to sleep
for
several
days at
a time.
We have
discussed
bi-polar
disorder
before.
For any
claim
based on
psychological
disorders
you MUST
seek
psychological
or
psychiatric
treatment
to have
any
chance
to
prevail
on your
claim.
Many
states
have
laws
establishing
indigent
mental
health
facilities
for
people
with low
income.
Finally,
a few
people
suffer
from
Narcolepsy,
which is
a
disease
of the
mind
that
causes
you to
sleep
too
much.
Narcolepsy
requires
treatment
from a
Neurologist.
It is a
rare
disease
and must
be fully
documented
by your
doctor.
It is
often
associated
with
seizures.
If you
think
you
might
suffer
from
Narcolepsy
you
should
contact
your
doctor
and
begin
keeping
a log of
any
seizures
you are
having.
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| HOW
CAN WE HELP YOU? |
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Our law firm has helped thousands of clients
over the years. Sometimes clients who use
our firm for one type of case may not
realize that there are other legal problems
we could help them solve.
We handle
most types of injury claims — including
automobile collisions, "slip and fall"
cases, injuries suffered as a result of
defective products, injuries resulting from
inadequate security, medical malpractice
claims, nursing home negligence claims,
prescription drug injuries and many others.
We invite you to call us about any
serious injury to see how we can help you.
Kraft & Associates also represents people
who have been denied their Social Security
Disability benefits. We can help at the
Initial stage, the Reconsideration stage or
the Hearing stage. We can help you, your
family or friends with any Immigration question.
Our law firm represents people who have immigration
problems of any kind, whether family-based
immigration or employment-based immigration.
We also help people who have problems
regarding family issues, such as divorce, child
support, adoption, modifications, enforcements,
attorney general disputes, paternity and other similar
matters. We also represent clients who have been
arrested or charged with committing a crime.
Please feel free to call us with any
legal questions you may have. If we cannot
represent you, we will attempt to refer you
to another attorney or to a government
agency that can help you. There is never any
charge or obligation for our initial
consultation. |
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© 1997- 2008 Kraft & Associates : Injury &
Disability Lawyers, P.C. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Personal Injury,
Automobile Accident, Wrongful Death, Nursing Home Negligence,
Social Security Disability.
DISCLAIMER:
This newsletter is presented by Kraft & Associates for
informational purposes only, and not as legal advice.
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