October 14, 2021 Samantha Webster Settlement – What to Consider for a Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) When settling a case involving a current Medicare beneficiary and before finalizing, it is important to understand what actions need to be taken to consider Medicare’s interest. What does this all mean and what are the three most important things…

September 30, 2021 Josh Pettingill, MBA, MS, MSCC All structured settlements are not created equal. There is a strong possibility you are leaving money on the table for your client with your existing settlement consultant or worse, relying on the insurance carrier’s structure broker. In this brief article, I will explain some of the methods…

September 9, 2021 Samantha Webster Structured settlements may be used to fund a Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA). Samantha Webster, Synergy’s Director of Case Management, addresses two common questions that come up about funding of a WCMSA with a structured settlement annuity. Question #1: “Are there different structured settlement options to fund a Medicare Set-Aside…

November 10, 2020 Mrs. Smith was moved to the ICU and no neurologic monitoring was performed that evening after being moved from the surgical suite. The next morning, Mrs. Smith was found to be quadriparetic. A suit was brought against multiple defendants with a significant seven-figure recovery secured. Mrs. Smith and her family had Medicaid…

October 8, 2020 ABLE accounts, named for the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, have been around since 2014 but remain underutilized across the country despite offering a way for people with disabilities and public benefits to save money without jeopardizing their public benefits eligibility. [1]  The reasons why are likely a combination of the…

Suffering even a moderate personal physical injury can create difficult challenges both financially and emotionally for even the strongest among us. However, what happens when someone suffers a serious or catastrophic personal physical injury? Do they get the proper counsel regarding the form of the settlement to protect their current assets, preserve public benefits, and…

July 7, 2020 By Jason D. Lazarus, J.D., LL.M., MSCC, CSSC In a recent Washington Post article, an egregious story of embezzlement was detailed involving personal injury settlements for children whose parents had died due to medical malpractice.  The settlements stemmed from cases against the federal government who in turn had hired the Pension Company,…

March 24, 2020 Now, more than ever, proper settlement planning is critical for disabled clients.  Protecting their recovery should be top of mind and a high priority given the turbulence in our global markets.  There are always going to be ups and downs in the financial markets.  The real estate market has crashed.  The tech…

By Jason D. Lazarus Introduction Catastrophically injured individuals have unique needs when it comes time to settle their cases.  A one-size-fits-all approach does not work given the complexities that are faced today upon resolution of a personal injury lawsuit. Consideration of how healthcare will be obtained have become much more complicated with the Affordable Care…

By Jason D. Lazarus, Esq. Introduction Assume you just settled a personal injury case for John Doe who is married to Jane.  John has a significant brain injury and there are questions of competency.  John was injured on the job but had a product liability claim which is the part of the case you resolved. …

B Josh Pettingill Appropriate settlement language can make a significant impact on the total amount of the workers’ compensation settlement, as well as dollars that the injured worker receives. This brief article will provide plaintiff/applicant attorneys with the requisite settlement language to maximize the workers’ compensation recovery, as well as protect their respective firms and…

Securing the best future for the client is always a priority for an attorney in a personal injury case. Depending on the amount, it may be in the client’s best interest to have a structured settlement annuity instead of a lump sum payment. A structured annuity often works in your client’s favor because it is…

When your client is awarded a settlement, an annuity can be utilized to parse out payments and ensure that funds are being distributed sensibly. After working tirelessly to build your client’s case so that they receive a fair settlement, you want to guarantee that their settlement retains its value for years to come. An annuity,…

In this two-part article, we are discussing the benefits of hiring a settlement planner. When a personal injury plaintiff is awarded a large settlement, they likely are not qualified to manage the funds they received in the settlement. There are many complex nuances in managing a settlement trust and its best to leave the financial…

Many people have heard the phrase “structured settlement” and may even understand the basic concept of what this entails. However, they probably do not understand how this process actually works. More importantly, they may not understand why settlement planning can benefit them. In this two-part article, we will educate you on the reasons why you…