Our Results

Law Firm Results

Personal Injury Attorneys

Please see the below results that the Mike Kelly Law Group has obtained for our clients.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this website involves specific factual cases. The facts of your case may be different and it is not intended that this firm necessarily have the same results in your case as in the cases found in this website.

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Social Security Disability and
Workers Compensation Settlements

One of our clients, unable to work for more than three years, was denied Social Security disability benefits. During those years, she had lost everything and was living in various shelters. We were granted an expedited hearing on her behalf, a rare occurrence in itself, in which she was found to be disabled and entitled to benefits.

In another instance, our client was a former long distance truck driver who waited six years after he became unable to work before applying for disability benefits. By the time he contacted us, his savings were gone. He was doubtful that he would ever receive any benefits based on the horror stories he had heard from other claimants who had been denied. After we helped him navigate an unfamiliar and somewhat threatening system, he was awarded benefits during the actual hearing. That almost never happens.

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Disability As Result of a Violent Crime

We often tell people that Social Security Disability is one of the most rewarding legal practice areas. This is an example of such a case. Several years ago, we received a fully favorable decision on a gentleman who became disabled as the result of a violent crime. Mr. M, as we will call him, was walking home from work one day when he was attacked and robbed by several thugs. Mr. M was found lying on the ground unresponsive and transported the emergency room via EMS where he remained for a month. Mr. M's status was so dire that he had to be resuscitated and placed on a ventilator. Mr. M also had to have a sitter with him at all times due to suspected symptoms from the concussion. He improved with treatment and was discharged from the hospital as stable; however, he was left with permanent severe impairments due to his head trauma. Unfortunately, no suspects were ever arrested and charged in the crime.

The beating left Mr. M with chronic headaches, vertigo, cognitive difficulties, speech difficulty, depression and anxiety. He also suffered from physical injuries that made it difficult for him to do any heavy lifting or any prolonged sitting, standing or walking. Mr. M had worked in the past as a dishwasher, cook, grocery store bagger, fast food assistant manager and construction worker. Mr. M had not worked anywhere since October 18, 2008, the date of his assault.

At his initial application and reconsideration, the Social Security Administration found that he could not return to his past work but there were other jobs that existed in significant numbers in the US economy that he could perform. The matter was heard before an administrative law judge. Based upon the medical evidence and Mr. M’s testimony, the judge found that Mr. M was disabled as of the date of his assault. No amount of money could ever replace what was taken from him on the day of the assault, but we take great pride in knowing that we had a hand in help this deserving client. It took two years and several appeals, but Mr. M is finally receiving much needed benefits.

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Disability for Twelve
Consecutive Months

Imagine for a moment that you are a vibrant, energetic forty-five year old who wakes up one morning with a lump on the side of your neck. You try to ignore the problem for a few days, but to your dismay, the pain and stiffness worsen. You head to the local emergency room hoping for a quick fix, but are stunned to find out that your diagnosis is actually Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This frightening scenario became a reality for one of our disability clients last winter. What followed were months of chemotherapy which not only resulted in extreme fatigue and nausea, but also psychological symptoms of depression and anxiety. She went from working a full time and part time job to not having the energy to get out of bed in the mornings. The chemotherapy lasted for ten months, with her prognosis being fair. In addition to the cancer treatment, our client had also developed severe degenerative disc disease and arthritis in her lower back and hip joint. No longer able to earn a living, she filed for Social Security Disability and was denied. She filed for reconsideration, and she was denied again. Feeling hopeless, she contacted our office for a consultation.

How could this happen you may ask? Well, the Social Security Administration found that our client’s condition was severe enough to prevent her from working at the time, but the evidence indicated that her condition was not expected to remain severe enough to prevent her from working 12 months in a row. We filed for a request for hearing before an administrative law judge in December of last year. When our client received a notice that her home was going into foreclosure, we filed a request to expedite the hearing. The hearing was scheduled for July 22, 2010. In preparation for the hearing, we obtained additional medical records and statements from her treating physicians regarding her medical conditions, treatments and what type of restrictions they would place upon her due to those conditions and treatments. We also prepared a pre-hearing brief outlining our theory of the case and indicating medical evidence in support thereof. Two days prior to the hearing, the judge’s office called to inform us that he was finding our client disabled without the need for a hearing. Our client was ecstatic. She was so deserving of her disability.

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Rare Occurrences

Ms. T was unable to work for more than three years, and she was denied Social Security disability benefits. During those years, she had lost everything and was living in various shelters. Like many of our other clients she was denied at the initial and reconsideration levels, and she was awaiting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. We were granted an expedited hearing on her behalf, a rare occurrence in itself, in which she was found to be disabled and entitled to benefits. In another instance, our client was a former long distance truck driver who waited six years after he became unable to work before applying for disability benefits. He figured he would be able to support himself off of money he had accumulated over the years. By the time he contacted our office, his savings were gone. He was doubtful that he would ever receive any benefits based on the horror stories he had heard from other claimants who had been denied. After we helped him navigate an unfamiliar and somewhat threatening system, he was awarded benefits during the actual hearing. That hardly ever happens! We made it abundantly clear during the hearing that this gentleman would be working if he possible could, and the judge agreed.

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Please understand that every claim is different, and very few cases are paid without a hearing once they make it to the hearing level. If you have questions about your Social Security Disability claim, we invite you to contact us for a consultation to see if we can help.