Albany Workers Compensation Attorney Paul Giannetti
Attorney Paul Giannetti is a lifelong resident of the greater Albany area. Born and raised in Rotterdam Junction, Paul graduated cum laude from St. Bonaventura University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. He received his Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1992.
After working for a small employer-side workers’ compensation firm for five years, Paul opened his own legal practice in 1998, exclusively dedicating his legal talents to fighting for the rights of injured and disabled workers in the Albany area. Since then, he has served as a fierce advocate for hundreds of injured or disabled individuals seeking workers’ compensation, social security disability benefits, and recovery for accident and personal injuries. Paul represents injury victims only, and never represents employers or insurance carriers.
Area of Practice
Workers’ Compensation
Social Security Disability
Personal Injury
Bar Admissions
New York State, 1993.
Education
Albany Law School, J.D. – 1992.
St. Bonaventure University, B.A. - 1989.
Publications
“When the Dust Settles”
“The Workers Compensation Minefield: 10 Traps to Avoid”
Professional Associations/Memberships
New York State Bar Association
Injured Workers Bar Association
Workers Compensation Alliance
PRACTICE AREAS:
Personal Injury
Handling All Types Of Personal Injury Cases in the Albany Area
When you are hurt in an accident, it can be painful, confusing and frightening. Everything that immediately follows can seem to happen in a blur. You may have trouble understanding the details of the accident. If you are like most people, you may not know what to do next. You may not know where to turn to deal with the challenges ahead of you – including fighting with insurance companies, missed work and mounting medical bills. As a personal injury attorney, I want you to know that you do not have to go through this alone.
At my Albany area personal injury firm, I help clients like you with a wide range of personal injury cases, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, workplace injuries, slip and falls and more. I understand what you are going through, and I am ready to use my extensive experience in personal injury law to help you obtain compensation for what happened.
Common Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury law centers around helping people who were hurt in accidents through no fault of their own. Some of the personal injury cases I work with include:
Car Accidents
When you are driving you have an expectation that other drivers will obey the law and the rules of the road. Yet everyday people ignore or purposefully break traffic laws. They may be late for work, they may be intoxicated or they may be malicious. Whatever the reason, reckless behavior on the road can lead to serious injuries and death.
My firm can help you to successfully pursue damages for this reckless behavior, both from the driver and the driver’s insurance provider. I can also ensure that your own insurance company treats you fairly.
Motorcycle Accidents
As a rider, you are more exposed to injury than most automobile drivers realize. One careless move from a car or truck driver can cause you life-altering injuries, if the accident does not kill you. My firm helps riders get compensation for injuries caused by reckless drivers, and we are ready to do the same for you.
Workplace Accidents
You have a reasonable expectation of safety when you go to your job. There are numerous rules and regulations in place to protect you at the workplace, whether you work in an office or on a construction site. Yet some employers try to cut corners, leaving you and your coworkers exposed to injury.
While workers’ compensation may cover part of your needs, it rarely covers all of them. Sometimes, you do not even get the level of workers’ compensation you should be entitled to. I can set things straight with all parties through aggressive legal action, helping you get the money you need following the accident.
Third Party Claims
Sometimes when you are working in certain situations – like in construction – your injury may be caused by a party other than your employer. Pursuing a sub-contractor or faulty equipment involves going after a third party, something I am familiar with. Any damages you collect from a third party claim will be in addition to your existing workers’ compensation claim.
Premises Liability
Premises liability covers accidents that happen in a place of business due to negligence. Slip and fall accidents are some of the most common, when a company fails to protect customers from slippery or damaged surfaces. Even a small fall can break bones and cause life-altering injuries. I understand how to pursue a successful premises liability case. By talking to witnesses and gathering evidence, I can build a case that will get you the compensation you need.
Life-Altering Injuries
The injuries sustained in a personal injury accident may stay with you for a lifetime. Even if they do not, you may still suffer pain and lost work for months or even years after the accident. Some common injuries include:
Broken bones
Spinal injuries
Brain injuries
Burn injuries
Dog bites
Coma
Amputations
Proving Fault
As you attorney, it is my job to prove that your injuries were the result of a person’s or a company’s negligence. Using investigative tools and witness testimony, I am persistent in my pursuit for evidence on your behalf.
I have helped hundreds of clients to get much-needed compensation following an accident. As your legal advocate, I leave no stone unturned in the quest for a satisfactory outcome in your case. I will do everything I can to see that you win.
Workers’ Compensation Attorney
When you are hurt or injured on the job, you are supposed to receive benefits from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance to cover your medical care and lost wages. Unfortunately, both employers and their insurers can often make it more difficult than it should be to get the benefits you deserve. Whether they deny your claim outright, or give you less benefits than you need, workers often find it hard to get the compensation they need to get by.
I help injured workers to work through the complexities of workers’ compensation and to overcome the resistance of employers and insurers. I understand how to help you get full compensation for your injuries or illness. If you have been injured on the job in the Albany area or anywhere in Upstate New York, contact me for a free consultation.
What Is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that most employers are required to carry in the state of New York. The insurance is designed to help employees who are hurt, injured or become ill when on the job. Ideally, this insurance should help injured workers by covering their medical care related to the injury or illness, and by giving them enough of an income to cover their bills while they are unable to work.
Basic workers’ compensation benefits should include payments that equal 2/3 of your weekly wages if you are unable to go back to work, as well as any medical care you need for your injuries. If you are still able to work, but at a reduced capacity, the payments will be lower to account for the wages you can still earn. Workers’ compensation may also pay for damages to your extremities – like your arms, legs or hands – even if you are still able to work.
Why Would Workers’ Compensation Be Denied?
In a perfect world, your employer and its insurer would pay you all the benefits required by law for your injuries. But too often, companies and insurers are motivated to reduce their costs any way they can, including denying your benefits or offering you benefits that do not meet your needs.
Your employer may want to imply that the accident that caused your injuries was in some way your fault, in order to prevent its insurance premiums from increasing. The insurance company is always motivated by the bottom line, so it may use its army of lawyers and doctors to try and prove that you are not as hurt as you actually are. Between the employer and the insurance company, you may struggle to get the benefits you need to cover your medical care or your expenses.
What To Do If You Are Hurt On The Job
If you are hurt while working or become ill due to the work you do, your first step should be to seek medical care and have a doctor treat your injuries or illness. Seeing a doctor is important, not only because you need treatment, but because you need to establish evidence that you were hurt and that it was job related. Tell the doctor that you were hurt at work and make sure that he or she documents this. Your doctors records are an integral part of a successful claim.
After you have seen your doctor, your next step is to contact an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to ensure you take the appropriate steps in the claim process. You can file your own workers’ compensation claim without an attorney, but even if you want to file on your own, you will still benefit from the advice of an attorney as you move forward.
You will need to notify your employer in writing of your workplace injury within 30 days of when it occurred. The state of New York requires that you file for your claim no later than two years after the injury occurred.
Contact Paul Giannetti Today
When it comes to workers’ compensation claims, you can always benefit from sound legal advice and experienced representation. As your attorney, I can help you through the entire claims process, including the filing and any appeals that are necessary to get you your benefits. I can also help you determine if you are eligible for any additional benefits beyond workers’ compensation, such as unemployment benefits, Social Security disability or union benefits.
Social Security Disability Lawyer
If you have been hurt or have a medical condition that makes you unable do the job you once did, you may be entitled to Social Security disability payments. You should be aware, however, that it is not always easy to get the benefits you should be getting from the Social Security Administration. Sometimes it takes considerable effort and the help of an experienced Social Security disability lawyer to get the money you need to care for yourself and your family.
I help clients work through the sometimes confusing process of getting their Social Security disability benefits. With over 15 years of experience in this area, I have the expertise you need to successfully apply for benefits or appeal a denail of your benefits.
What The Social Security Administration Means By Disability
The standard understanding of disability does not always match up with what the federal government defines as “disabled”. For you to qualify for benefits, you must be unable to work the job you were working before your disability started. You must also be unable to work another job that would earn you a similar income to your previous job. Lastly, your condition must be expected to last for at least a year.
To demonstrate to the federal government that you meet all of these criteria will require you to collect substantial medical evidence of your condition.
How To Apply For Benefits
You can apply for your benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov or the nearest Social Security office. You do not need an attorney to apply for social security benefits, but you should be prepared for a struggle after you submit your application. The majority of social security claims are initially denied by the Social Security Administration. You will probably need to appeal the decision, in which case the help of an experienced attorney can prove invaluable.
Why The Social Security Administration Denies Claims
The Social Security Administration is a complex organization that is focused on ensuring that all applicants meet the stringent requirements for benefits. It can deny your claim for numerous reasons, many of which you will be unable to predict until you are notified of denial. You may not provide what the organization considers sufficient medical evidence of your disability. The organization may mistakenly think that you can still do your original job or a similar job.
One of the greatest benefits to working with an attorney is that he can help you prove your eligibility – correcting any and all errors on the part of the Social Security Administration. It may take some time and several attempts, but your attorney can push through the resistance and get you your deserved benefits.
How Much Does Social Security Disability Pay?
The specific amount you will be paid from your benefits is determined by the Social Security Administration using a complex formula. Several things will be considered when determining your payments, including how much you have paid in Social Security taxes and how much you were expected to make over your lifetime based off of your previous earnings.
The Social Security Administration offers a benefits calculator, where you can input your information and get a general idea of what you will make should your application be successful.
Social Security disability benefits can easily be several thousand dollars a month, making it worthwhile to pursue your benefits – even if you have been initially denied.
Why Hire A Lawyer?
If you have been hurt or have a medical condition where you can no longer work your job, you have a tough road ahead of you. It will be difficult to ever make the kind of money you were making before, if you can even work at all. Social Security disability benefits may be the only reliable source of income you can depend on in the coming years.
As your attorney, I will do whatever it takes to see that you get your benefits. I have helped numerous clients in circumstances similar to yours. The Social Security disability system is complex and can often be frustrating, especially if you are not familiar with it. I can help you navigate the system and can do what is necessary to make the Social Security Administration see the truth – you have a right to your benefits.
Contact An Attorney Today
If you are interested in filing for SSD or you have been denied after your initial filing, please contact me now to discuss your situation. Initial consultations are free, so talking to me will cost you nothing. Once I understand your circumstances, I can tell you the next steps that need to be taken to ensure that you get the benefits you deserve.