Words matter. Especially, when it comes to your workers’ compensation case. Meuser, Yackley & Rowland, P.A. represent hundreds of Police Officers, State Troopers, Deputy Sheriffs, Firefighters, Corrections Officers, EMTs, and other first responders who “medical out” – meaning, they leave their former careers behind, in order to accept PERA or MSRS in-the-line-of-duty disability benefits.

Quite often Minnesota police officers with serious on-duty injuries wait to speak with a lawyer until they’re dealing with a legal mess. What I hear from these individuals is since they assumed that they had a “legitimate” injury, they didn’t think they needed a lawyer. Or they assumed their department would take care of them – until they were terminated. Or, since the workers’ compensation insurer was paying, that they didn’t need an attorney – until the workers’ compensation insurer stopped paying benefits. Or, that their friend went through the process and has been giving them some “guidance” on how to navigate the system.

Whatever the injury or illness, the road to recovery rarely follows a straight line. Whether you sustain a back injury requiring surgery, or you are struggling with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the recovery process is personal to you and will depend on the type and severity of the injury (or injuries) you sustained. This is especially true for catastrophic injuries and those that involve multiple body systems.

To offer a different perspective on the topic of claim adjusters, we turned to our Legal Analyst with the firm, Vanessa Washington. Vanessa has extensive experience in the insurance industry with a focus on workers’ compensation. Vanessa’s primary role with Meuser, Yackley & Rowland, P.A. is to support the attorneys by analyzing the value of each case, providing case law research, and facilitating negotiations.

As a former claim adjuster, I can tell you not all claim adjusters are bad people. They are there to help you as best they can. There are ways that you can help your claim progress more smoothly.