Healing can be an arduous process. While you know that you should be “taking it easy” and allowing your body to heal, it can be frustrating to be in that position, especially if you are normally an active person. Finding something to occupy your mind and pass the time can make this difficult time a …
Low Access to Employer Offered ERISA Disability Benefits
Fewer than half of American workers have access to ERISA disability plans through their jobs and white-collar workers are more likely than anyone else to be offered such plans, government data show. The Bureau of Labor Statistics analyzed the employer-offered ERISA disability insurance marketplace extensively in 2015. Its findings were fascinating. For instance: One-quarter of American …
Five Common Mistakes Parents Make In Custody Cases
There’s no way to say this gently. Custody battles are ugly. In the midst of all the stress and anguish over a break-up, you’re also fighting for your kids. It’s hard to be at your best when things are at their worst, and-for a loving parent-it’s hard to find a worse situation than a protracted …
“Fairness and Accuracy” In ERISA Disability Claims?
The federal government has imposed new ERISA regulations on employment benefit plan managers that officials hope will make it easier for ordinary people to obtain disability benefits. The new rules are vast, but they require a whole series of new steps “to ensure independence and impartiality” in reviewing initial claims or appeals and they require plan administrators …
Should I Disclose My Arrest To An Employer?
Being placed under arrest can be traumatic. And it can also be costly. Texas law gives employers the right to run criminal background checks on potential hires to determine whether they’re a good fit for the company. Legislators passed a law a few years ago that should, theoretically, make it easier for employees with criminal backgrounds get …
Forget The Gold Mine- Who Gets the Shaft?
Divorce is hard enough when you’re fighting over assets, but increasingly, I’m seeing the most vicious fights erupt over losses. Maybe that’s because personal debt has skyrocketed in Texas-nearly seven percent from 2015-16 (and almost six percent the year before that). Folks in this region owe a staggering $842.5 billion in personal debt. Unlike personal property, debt doesn’t have to …
West Virginia: How to Protect Your Student From Drug Charges
Question: My son is a freshman at Marshall. He’s always been a good kid, but lately his grades are slipping and he seems to be hanging out with a crowd that is using drugs–one of his friends was just arrested for possession of marijuana. What should I advise my son to do if the cops come calling?
Texas-Sized Facts About Texas Criminal Law Statistics
If everything is bigger here in Texas, why should our Texas Criminal Law system be any different? Turns out, it isn’t. Although, that’s for good and for bad…. 1. Good News, Bad News: Overall, the crime rate fell in 2015, but the violent crime rate had risen. Homicides were up by more than nine percent, rapes by more than …
West Virginia Car Accident Attorney: Abrupt Turns Are Dangerous
West Virginia Car Accident Attorney, Mark Underwood writes: West Virginians have a lot to be proud of: we’re the best in the country when it comes to measures of racial equality and equality of education; and we’re 10th in the nation when it comes to affordable living. But a new study by the fine folks at …
Most Drivers Don’t Follow Their Own Distracted Driving Advice!
Most studies like to point toward how perception doesn’t match the facts. Distracted driving is a rare issue where everyone knows it’s a problem but it continues to grow anyway. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that there were 3,477 distracted driving deaths in the US in 2015 (the most recent year with statistics available) …
Disability In West Virginia: A Snapshot
Nearly one out of every five West Virginian has some form of disability, according to the Pew Foundation. That’s the highest rate in the country. Perhaps worse, disabilities affect West Virginians of working age-nearly one in 10 working-age Mountaineers receive disability insurance from the Social Security Administration, as this business news site reports. That, too, is the highest …
Divorce Texas: Alcohol Dependency Treatment In McKinney, Texas
Divorce in Texas is always awful. When a spouse is struggling with alcohol addiction, things are worse. Alcohol abuse can be used as a factor in determining spousal support and the division of marital property. Parents who abuse alcohol can be ordered to limit their interaction with children to supervised visits: They may even lose …
Enabling Usually Grows Out of Good Intentions
You care about your family. You want what is best for them. You love them and care for them deeply. That is what families are supposed to do. It can be hard when a family member hits a few bumps in the road.
Drive Carefully Avoid Hydroplaning By McKinney Car Accident Lawyers
Did you know that, when it begins to rain, the first 10 minutes are the most dangerous on the road? In dry weather, roads accumulate a thin layer of oil deposited from passing vehicles. When rain begins, the road’s surface becomes greasy and slippery when the oil combines with raindrops. When you have been hurt …
McKinney Attorney Mark Underwood Nominated for Board
McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Texas Trial Lawyer Mark Underwood has been nominated for the Board of Directors of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. 2017 Texas Trial Lawyers Board of Directors. At the December 8, 2016, Membership Meeting, a vote will be taken to elect the 2017 Board of Directors and Officers. The members in addition to …