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 April
2009
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Why Are You Getting This Newsletter?
This free e-mail newsletter is sent to current and
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The Chicago Tribune reports, "About 25,000 Travel Tender playpens, made in China and imported by Simplicity Inc. and SFCA Inc. of Reading, Pa., have been recalled because one or more rails can collapse unexpectedly, posing a possible hazard to children." The playpens "were sold at Burlington Coat Factory stores nationwide and online at Babiesrus.com, Target.com and Kohls.com from March 2005 through January of this year."
If you have one of these playpens, stop using it, and contact the store or the manufacturer as soon as possible. We don't want your child to be injured!
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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Most of our immigration clients are understandably nervous before their visa interview. This interview will determine whether the visa petition will be granted or denied. We always spend time with our clients before the interview to explain the process and to give them an idea of the types of questions that may be asked. Another thing we do is make sure each client knows the importance of taking certain documents to the interview.
Once an immigrant visa applicant has been scheduled for a visa interview, a consular officer will require seeing specific documents for visa processing. Certain U.S. embassies and consulates have their own local requirements for processing immigrant visas.
Generally however, all visa applicants should take the following documents to their interviews:
1. Passport: Each visa applicant must take his or her original passport. This includes expired and unexpired passports.
2. Birth Certificate: A certified copy of each applicant’s birth certificate is required.
3. Marriage Certificate: If the visa applicant is married, a certified copy of the marriage certificate bearing the seal of official government authority.
4. Divorce Decree (or Death Certificate): If the visa applicant is divorced (or spouse died), a certified copy of every divorce decree (or death certificate, if applicable) bearing the seal of official government authority.
5. Police Certificate: Each visa applicant must apply for a police record clearance from every country in which the applicant lived for more than six months, since the age of 16. The police record clearance must be obtained for each applicant, even if the applicant has never been arrested. The police certificate must be obtained before attending the visa interview.
6. Medical Examination and Supplement (Immunization Records): A medical examination by a designated physician is required before attending the visa interview. The applicant will hand-deliver the sealed envelope to the consular officer at the interview.
7. Employment Letter or Proof of Financial Support: If the visa applicant was sponsored by a U.S. employer, an employment letter confirming a job offer is required. If the visa applicant was sponsored by a family member, the U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative must submit an Affidavit of Support on Form I-864.
8. Immigrant Visa Application: The visa applicant must complete Form DS-230, Part II and take the completed form to the interview. It is important that the applicant not sign the form because this particular form is to be signed only in the presence of the Consular Officer.
9. Approval Notices: Visa Applicants must take all approval notices they have ever received.
10. Waiver Applications (if applicable): For certain visa applicants who are ineligible to enter the United States, a waiver application is required.
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| FOR
YOUR INFORMATION |
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Continuing Work in Congress to Reduce Social Security’s Backlog
With the average waiting time to get a hearing before an administrative law judge taking well over a year, Congress is always considering ways to reduce Social Security’s disability backlog. Claimants are often required or encouraged by their long-term disability insurance companies to file for Social Security Disability benefits. But not all such claims are meritorious. Social Security has clear rules on what types of claims qualify. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley said his survey of private insurers has found that some are needlessly contributing to the Social Security disability backlog, and he urged the Social Security Administration to recommit itself to preventing disability benefit application fraud and to work with the Inspector General to penalize and prosecute those filing false disability claims. Please read his entire press release.We commend the work of Senator Grassley in his effort to reduce or eliminate groundless claims. Every year we work hard to bring only meritorious claims to hearing. All lawyers working in this area of law are made aware daily of just how dire the needs are of those we represent. It is unethical, we believe, for anyone to delay an already overburdened system with a disability claim that is not rooted in a good faith belief in the merits of the case.
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| FEATURED
EMPLOYEE |
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 Nicole
D. Collier
Attorney
E-mail:
ncollier@kraftlaw.com
Ms. Collier received her bachelor of science degree
from the University of Houston and her law degree
from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. While
in law school, Ms. Collier served as class
representative of the Student Bar Association and
was a member of the Moot Court Honors Society. Ms.
Collier was selected as the Hooding Speaker at the
school’s Hooding Ceremony. She is a former member
of the Texas Wesleyan Alumni Board. Ms. Collier
joined our firm in 2003 after working at
other area law firms. In addition to Personal
Injury, Ms. Collier has experience in the areas of
Family, Criminal, and Workers' Compensation law.
Ms. Collier is a member of the Board of Directors of
the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association and is also a
member of the Dallas Bar Association and the Texas
Trial Lawyers Association. She is on the Membership
Committee of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
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| FEATURED
CASE |
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Sarcoidosis
and Social
Security
Disability
Recently we won
Social Security
Disability
benefits for an
individual with
disabling
sarcoidosis.
Social Security
recognizes well
over a hundred
Listed
impairments.
These
impairments are
considered
severe enough
that, when all
criteria are
met, an
individual is
found disabled
regardless of
age, education,
and prior work
history. But
there are many
conditions that
can be
disabling, but
do not have a
corresponding
Listing in the
Social Security
Regulations.
Sarcoidosis is
one such
example.
One of the
difficulties in
establishing
Listing criteria
for a disease
like sarcoidosis
is that there
are wide ranging
symptoms and
severity. An
individual may
have the
diagnosis but
essentially have
no symptoms, but
another
individual may
die from the
disorder. Though
sarcoidosis can
attack any part
of the body,
usually the
lungs are the
first to be
impacted, with
sometimes
significant
shortness of
breath being the
most notable
symptom.
Prednisone is
often prescribed
and may, if an
individual has
taken it for a
long time,
indicate that
the individual
has a severe
illness.
In our
experience in
several cases
where
sarcoidosis was
the basis of
disability, the
combination of
symptoms from
several body
systems was the
key to winning
the claim.
Sarcoidosis is a
rheumatic
disease (it
involves joints,
soft tissues,
and connective
tissues) and
can, therefore,
be analogous to
either lupus or
undifferentiated
connective
tissue disorder,
for which Social
Security has
established
Listing
criteria.
Sarcoidosis is
distinguishable
from other
rheumatic
disorders in
that sarcoidosis
can damage the
central nervous
system and
reduce vision.
Successful
resolution of
the case often
depends on
seeing the right
specialist –
usually a
rheumatologist –
and possibly
seeing a related
specialist in
the affected
body system,
such as a
pulmonary doctor
who can evaluate
lung
functioning.
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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.
Our firm can help you understand your rights under
Federal and Texas consumer protection laws and
assist you with stopping creditor wrongdoing,
obtaining compensation for wrongful acts by
creditors, or with correcting your credit report. We
can also help you evaluate your options and decide
whether a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case
might be your best option. Most clients can protect
all of their property, income, and assets in a
bankruptcy case, and obtain the "fresh start"
promised by the United States Bankruptcy Code.
Kraft & Associates is
a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the
United States Bankruptcy Code. We assist people with
finding solutions to their debt problems including,
where appropriate, assisting them with the filing of
petitions for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
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. |
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Copyright
© 1997- 2008 Kraft & Associates : Injury,
Disability & Immigration Lawyers, P.C. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Personal Injury, Automobile Accident, Wrongful Death,
Social Security Disability, Immigration, Bankruptcy,
Consumer Law.
DISCLAIMER:
This newsletter is presented by Kraft & Associates for
informational purposes only, and not as legal advice.
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