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Post by hooligan on Jul 27, 2008 17:23:12 GMT -5
Signed, Not one of the idiots I certainly did not intend to disparage all rep's. I deal with some very good ones who admittedly are much more familiar with the file than I am. However, I stick by my "idiots" remarks. The level of competence of some of the reps I see is shameful. They are literally just along for the ride or in some cases more of a problem than a solution. It is frustrating not to be able to do much about the situation. The best advice I can offer is to control the flow of the hearing and not allow the idiots to hijack the hearing. BTW: I do make it a practice to let the reps know if there are parts of their case that I agree with to keep them focused. |
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mango
Full Member
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Post by mango on Jul 27, 2008 20:45:45 GMT -5
I have to echo hooligan. There are some reps that do a competent job. They are helpful in that they will actually refer to a specific exhibit and help me to decide the case. That is what good reps do. There are others that as hooligan puts it "are just along for the ride." I had one rep that when asked the question, have you discussed the issues contained in the notice of hearing with your client, said no, he had never talked to his client. This forced a 15 minute delay while I allowed him to do so. Not sure what he was doing to earn his pay.
I too will let the rep know when I agree with something they say or the claimant's position. I always give them an opportunity to make an opening in hopes they will tell me what they think the case is about. Sometimes I tell them what I think it is about and seek their concurrence. I will also tell them when I disagree with a statement they make and challenge them to support it with reference to evidence of record. I will try and focus on what the claim is about if we can. If it is an obvious issue of a specific injury, I try and get to that so we don't have to spend a lot of time going through a litany of questions when we can just focus on the real issue. I will also ask if there is any medical diagnose supporting the claimant's symptoms. Without that in the record I cannot find an impairment so it can speed things along if they say there is none. It can also help you to insure you did not miss something of importance to deciding the case. Again, some reps are good and know the file and can answer the questions, others are not and there is an immediate flurry of paper as they search to see if it is there. As they say, your mileage will vary....
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