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 June
2009
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Why Are You Getting This Newsletter?
This free e-mail newsletter is sent to current and
former clients of our law firm, to those who
have specifically asked to receive it, and to
those who have contacted our firm for legal
advice in the past.
If the newsletter is being sent to you
in error, please follow the instructions at
the bottom of this page and you will
immediately be removed from our list of
subscribers.
If you know someone who might enjoy receiving
this free e-mail newsletter, please send us that
person's e-mail address.
Kraft & Associates will never sell or give
your e-mail information to anyone outside our
law firm. |
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H-1B Immigration Cap Still Not Reached
Unlike recent years, when the H-1B employment immigration limit was reached on the first day applications were accepted, as of May 27, 2009, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had received only 45,700 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 total cap. For the fiscal year 2010 H-1B program, USCIS continues to accept petitions subject to the cap. Visit the USCIS Web site for updates at: http://www.uscis.gov.
Free Legal Advice?
Yes, at Kraft &
Associates we are glad to provide our clients
and friends with free information on a variety
of subjects. If you want details about how to
lower your automobile insurance rates,
Texas Workers' Compensation law or
Social Security Disability claims, please
contact us and we will send you any of these
brochures without charge or obligation. |
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Suite 1300
2777 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 999-9999
(817) 999-9999
(800) 989-9999
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FOR THE RECORD |
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Safety Tips to Prevent
Falls
To prevent
falls by elderly residents, the Injury
Prevention Center of Greater Dallas
suggests the following tips to make your
home safer:
Living room
●
Make sure a light can be turned on
without walking into a dark room.
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Keep
lamp, extension, and phone cords out
of the flow of traffic.
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Passageways should be free from
clutter, including papers and
furniture.
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Curtains and furniture must be at
least 12 inches from baseboard or
portable heaters to prevent fire.
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Carpets must lie flat on the floor.
Area rugs usually are too slippery.
Kitchen
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Stove
controls must be easy to see and
use.
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Loose-fitting clothing, towels and
curtains must be kept away from
burners and the oven to prevent
fires.
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Regularly used items should not
require climbing in order to reach
them.
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A
stepstool should be sturdy and in
good repair.
Bedrooms
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Smoke
detectors should be close to where
people are sleeping.
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Lights
should be accessible without having
to walk into a dark room.
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Lamp
or light switches should be within
easy reach of the bed.
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Telephones should be within easy
reach of the bed.
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A
light should be left on at night
between the bed and the bathroom.
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Curtains should be at least 12
inches away from a portable heater.
Bathroom
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Showers and tubs should have a
non-skid surface when wet. Use a
bathmat, decals, or abrasive strips.
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A
sturdy grab bar should be installed
in the shower and tub area.
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The
bathroom floor should have a
non-slip surface.
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The
toilet should be easy to get on and
off.
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Hot
water temperature should be 120
degrees or lower.
Outdoors
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Outside steps should have sturdy
handrails on both sides.
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There
should be sufficient lighting
outside the door.
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Steps should be in
good repair.
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| FOR
YOUR INFORMATION |
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Microcars Have
High Repair
Costs For
Low-Speed
Collisions
The
Insurance
Institute for
Highway Safety
reported this
month that
repairing
property damage
to microcars in
low-speed
crashes of 3-6
miles per hour
could cost
anywhere from
$474 to $3,701.
Institute senior
vice president
Joe Nolan said
bumpers should
protect cars so
that damages
from such
collisions
“should cost
less than the
typical $500
insurance
deductible.” Of
the seven
vehicles tested,
only the Smart
Fortwo was
rated as
acceptable. In
response,
automakers said
the insurance
industry tests
were more
focused on the
property damage
repair costs of
low-impact,
low-injury
collisions,
while the
manufacturers
placed a greater
priority on
passenger
safety.
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| FEATURED
EMPLOYEE |
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Kathleen Munden
Attorney
E-mail:
kmunden@kraftlaw.com
Ms. Munden was born
and raised in Fort Worth. She received her Bachelor
of Science degree in psychology from Texas Christian
University, and her law degree from Baylor
University School of Law in 1996.
Ms. Munden managed her own firm in Fort Worth from
1996 to 2006, representing consumers in Chapter 7
and Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Fair Debt Collection, and
Fair Credit Reporting cases. In early 2007, she took
a sabbatical and lived in London for a year and a
half. After her return to Texas in June 2008, she
joined a Fort Worth firm specializing in
representation of creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy
cases.
However, Ms. Munden wished to return to the
representation of consumers, and joined Kraft &
Associates in March 2009 to establish a consumer law
department, including consumer bankruptcy and all
areas of consumer law, such as violations by
creditors of fair debt collection laws, credit
reporting disputes, and mortgage lending violations.
Ms. Munden is a member of the State Bar of Texas,
Tarrant County Bar Association, Dallas Bar
Association, National Association of Consumer
Bankruptcy Attorneys, and National Association of
Consumer Advocates. Her most recent publication was
"Foreclosures and Deficiencies," concerning
foreclosure law in Texas, which was presented in
September 2008 at the University of Houston Law
Center seminar on "Collecting Debts and Judgments."
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| FEATURED
CASE |
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Interstitial
Cystitis and Social Security Disability
A number of our Social
Security Disability clients suffer from
interstitial cystitis. Individuals suffering
from this disorder frequently experience the
following symptoms:
● urinary frequency,
● urinary urgency, and
● pain (especially pelvic)
The course of prescribed treatment can
include narcotic pain medications and
bladder surgery. While not all individuals
who have been diagnosed with interstitial
cystitis will be found disabled under Social
Security rules, one source of information
for people with interstitial cystitis that
we recommend is the Interstitial Cystitis
Organization. The Interstitial Cystitis
Organization is full of information and
resources to those suffering from
interstitial cystitis, and you can get find
out more at
www.ichelp.org or 1-800-HELP-ICA.
Recently we have assisted individuals with
severe interstitial cystitis in getting
either Social Security Disability or
Supplemental Security Income. Their cases
were among the more severe of those
suffering with the disease. The degree of
frequency and severity of an individual’s
symptoms are unique in each case and will
determine, to a large degree, whether a
claimant will be granted benefits. |
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| HOW
CAN WE HELP YOU? |
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Our law firm has helped thousands of clients
over the years. Sometimes clients who use
our firm for one type of case may not
realize that there are other legal problems
we could help them solve.
We handle
most types of injury claims — including
automobile collisions, "slip and fall"
cases, injuries suffered as a result of
defective products, injuries resulting from
inadequate security, medical malpractice
claims, nursing home negligence claims,
prescription drug injuries and many others.
We invite you to call us about any
serious injury to see how we can help you.
Kraft & Associates also represents people
who have been denied their Social Security
Disability benefits. We can help at the Initial
stage, the Reconsideration stage or the Hearing
stage.
Our law firm also represents people who have immigration
problems of any kind, whether family-based
immigration or employment-based immigration.
Our firm can help you understand your rights under
Federal and Texas consumer protection laws and
assist you with stopping creditor wrongdoing,
obtaining compensation for wrongful acts by
creditors, or with correcting your credit report. We
can also help you evaluate your options and decide
whether a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case
might be your best option. Most clients can protect
all of their property, income, and assets in a
bankruptcy case, and obtain the "fresh start"
promised by the United States Bankruptcy Code.
Please feel free to call us with any
legal questions you may have. If we cannot
represent you, we will attempt to refer you
to another attorney or to a government
agency that can help you. There is never any
charge or obligation for our initial
consultation.
Kraft & Associates is
a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the
United States Bankruptcy Code. We assist people with
finding solutions to their debt problems including,
where appropriate, assisting them with the filing of
petitions for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. |
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Copyright
© 1997- 2009 Kraft & Associates : Injury &
Disability Lawyers, P.C. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Personal Injury,
Automobile Accident, Wrongful Death, Nursing Home Negligence,
Social Security Disability.
DISCLAIMER:
This newsletter is presented by Kraft & Associates for
informational purposes only, and not as legal advice.
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