A Guide to Your Rights

• An Overview and Introduction
• Health Insurance
• Patient Safety
• Private Benefits:
  Motor Vehicle Insurance
• Private Benefits: Disability Insurance
• Private Benefits: Workers Compensation
• Public Benefits:
  Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania
• Public Benefits:
  Crime Victims Compensation Fund
• Public Benefits:
  Federal Government
• Public Benefits: Attendant Care
• Disabled Children
• Rehabilitation Hospitals
  & Facilities
• Vocational Rehabilitation Services
• Civil Litigation: Claims For Damages
• Resources
• Support Groups
• Entitlements And Benefits
• Acknowledgements

 

An Overview and Introduction

We all try to prepare to meet life’s challenges. No one can be fully prepared, however, for the effects of a catastrophic injury. Such injuries change forever not only the lives of the victims themselves, but also the lives of family members, friends, and often other support providers.

We live in a world where amazing medical skill and technology, and sophisticated rehabilitation resources are available for victims of trauma and other catastrophic events. All too often, however, a maze of government agencies and health insurance bureaucracies pose significant barriers that make it difficult for victims and their families to take full advantage of the available treatment and rehabilitation options. These administrative and logistical burdens can impose an enormous strain on families already overwhelmed by a life-changing tragedy. And sometimes, these burdens effectively prevent victims and their families from getting the best medical care and rehabilitation care possible.

We are trial lawyers, and our clients are frequently individuals and families who have suffered catastrophic injuries. Over decades, we have watched first-hand as families, in the face of unexpected and sometimes overwhelming adversity, adjust and reconfigure every aspect of their lives. We thought it would be helpful to gather, in one place, some of what we have learned about the kinds and categories of resources that are available to families and individuals as they move forward.

To view a resource that is useful to you, please select from the categories on the left.

Printable version of a Guide to Your Rights