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Is your hearing loss work-re lated? Know your legal rights to compensation, medical benefits, hearing aids & batteries. Gaylord & Nantais workers’ compensation attorney hearing loss specialists. (562) 424-9967 Worker’s Compensation Benefits Include: Having Trouble Hearing? Take this simple self-test to see if you might have impaired hearing. Hearing Loss Evaluation. 1) A comprehensive medical exam by an ear, nose & throat doctor, including audiological testing. 2) Hearing aids for life. When your aids are lost or damaged, they will be replaced. If the technology changes substantially, you may obtain new hear- ing aids. 3) Batteries for life. 4) Compensation based on the schedule for rating whole person impairment by the AMA (American Medical Association). An evaluation for monetary compensation for work related hearing loss encompasses the following: 1) A careful history of the hearing loss, prior noise exposures, and any otologic complaints; 2) A past-medical history with emphasis on trau- ma, diseases, drugs, and inherited disorders that could contribute to hearing loss; 3) A physical examination with emphasis on the ears and nasopharynx; 4) Audiometric testing. This evaluation does not take much time, and it is painless. The Hearing Loss Specialists (562) 424-9967 •Do you often need to turn the volume up on the TV? •Do you frequently ask others to repeat themselves? •Do you have trouble understanding people when you are in groups or noisy situations? •Do you have to sit up front in meetings or church in order to understand? •Do you find it difficult to understand women or young children? •Do you have trouble knowing where sounds are coming from? •Are you unable to understand when someone talks to you from another room? •Have others told you that you don’t seem to hear them? •Do you avoid family meetings or social situations because you “can’t understand”? •Do you have ringing or other noises (tinnitus) in your ears? Scoring: If you answered “yes” to fewer than three of the questions, you may have no significant hearing loss. If you answered yes to three to five of the questions, you may have a slight hearing problem.* If you answered yes to five to seven of the questions, you may have a moderate hearing problem.* If you answered yes to more than seven of the ques- tions, you may have a significant hearing problem.* *In order to determine the exact degree of hearing loss present, you should have your hearing evalu- ated by a licensed hearing professional. Call us to find out if you qualify for a no-cost evaluation and other compensation today. GAYLORD & NANTAIS WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ATTORNEYS ZZ08-05_maq1.indd 1 18/06/08 10:40:19

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Page 1: Take this simple self-test to see if you might have ... · •Do you avoid family meetings or social situations because you “can’t understand”? •Do you have ringing or other

Is your hearing loss work-related?

Know your legal rights to compensation,medical benefits, hearing aids & batteries.

Gaylord & Nantaisworkers’ compensation attorneyhearing loss specialists.

(562) 424-9967

Worker’s Compensation Benefits Include:

Having Trouble Hearing?Take this simple self-test to see if you might have impaired hearing.

Hearing Loss Evaluation.

1) A comprehensive medical exam by an ear, nose & throat doctor, including audiological testing.

2) Hearing aids for life. When your aids are lost or damaged, they will be replaced. If the technology changes substantially, you may obtain new hear-ing aids.

3) Batteries for life.

4) Compensation based on the schedule for rating whole person impairment by the AMA (American Medical Association).

An evaluation for monetary compensation for work related hearing loss encompasses the following:

1) A careful history of the hearing loss, prior noise exposures, and any otologic complaints;

2) A past-medical history with emphasis on trau-ma, diseases, drugs, and inherited disorders that could contribute to hearing loss;

3) A physical examination with emphasis on the ears and nasopharynx;

4) Audiometric testing. This evaluation does not take much time, and it is painless.

The Hearing Loss Specialists

(562) 424-9967

•Do you often need to turn the volume up on the TV?

•Do you frequently ask others to repeat themselves?

•Do you have trouble understanding people when you are in groups or noisy situations?

•Do you have to sit up front in meetings or church in order to understand?

•Do you find it difficult to understand women or young children?

•Do you have trouble knowing where sounds are coming from?

•Are you unable to understand when someone talks to you from another room?

•Have others told you that you don’t seem to hear them?

•Do you avoid family meetings or social situations because you “can’t understand”?

•Do you have ringing or other noises (tinnitus) in your ears?

Scoring:

If you answered “yes” to fewer than three of the questions, you may have no significant hearing loss.

If you answered yes to three to five of the questions, you may have a slight hearing problem.*

If you answered yes to five to seven of the questions, you may have a moderate hearing problem.*

If you answered yes to more than seven of the ques-tions, you may have a significant hearing problem.*

*In order to determine the exact degree of hearing loss present, you should have your hearing evalu-ated by a licensed hearing professional. Call us to find out if you qualify for a no-cost evaluation and other compensation today.

GAYLORD & NANTAISWORKERS’ COMPENSATION ATTORNEYS

ZZ08-05_maq1.indd 1 18/06/08 10:40:19

Page 2: Take this simple self-test to see if you might have ... · •Do you avoid family meetings or social situations because you “can’t understand”? •Do you have ringing or other

the new breed of digitally programmable hearing aids, which can amplify voices while suppressing background noise. These advances have also increased the cost of many hearing aids, which can range in price from $900 to $8500 a piece. Obviously, with higher device costs, many people who would otherwise benefit from having these new products cannot afford them.

You may be entitled to get your hear-ing aids paid for, and receive monetary compensation for your hearing loss – even if it has been many years since you last worked around loud noise. Most workers are unaware that hearing loss is a work-re-lated injury covered by workers’ compensa-tion laws. These laws provide for doctors’

appointments, hearing tests and hearing aids. In addition, depending upon how severe the hearing loss is, you may be entitled to compensation.

The Law Offices of Gaylord and Nantais specialize in hearing loss injuries. They will help you get the hearing aids you so desperately need and deserve as well as compensation for your hearing loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss can be ob-jectively identified and diagnosed by an audiologist or ENT doctor. Ask your health specialist if you might have noise-induced hearing loss. If so, call the Law Offices of Gaylord and Nantais at (562) 424-9967 and speak directly to one of our specialists about your rights.

Ned Gaylord

Tom Nantais

Mariela Torres

With over 40 years’ experience as a work-ers’ compensation attorney, Ned Gaylord has obtained thousands of settlements for injured workers. He has strong ties with several trade unions, including but not limited to: Laborers, Carpenters, Iron Workers, Cement Masons, Brick Tenders, Operating Engineers, Machinists, Electricians, Pipe Fitters and Boil-ermakers. The Law Offices of Gaylord and Nantais have been instrumental in notifying and educating workers about their rights.

Mr. Nantais has been working on behalf of injured workers for 14 years. He has dedicated his efforts to hearing loss cases, which he often refers to as “the forgotten injury.” Mr. Nantais claims, “Noise-induced hearing loss affects 1 in 10 of all workers. However, employers rarely tell their employees about their rights, and most workers don’t consider hearing loss an injury in the traditional sense. They are surprised to learn they can get compensated for it, and get their hearing aids and batteries paid for!”

Ms. Torres has been with Gaylord and Nantais for 12 years. She has organized dozens of educational meetings to discuss workers’ rights with union members. Being a bilingual attorney, she is able to put Latino clients at ease. Ms Torres is convinced that education and knowledge about workers’ compensation rights is vital to every worker.

The World Health Organization has said that workplace noise exposure is responsible for the most common injury to workers – Hearing Loss! Noise exposure from things such as loud machinery, engines, music, crowds, etc., is responsible for 40% of all hearing loss. In 80% of those cases, the noise exposure occurs when the person is working. Thirty million workers are affected by this epidemic!

Most health plans do not cover hearing aids, the most effective treatment for neu-rosensorial hearing loss (the kind caused by excessive noise exposure). Even Medicare fails to provide for hearing aids. This is very unfortunate since new technologies have vastly improved the effectiveness of

K n o w y o u r r i g h t s !a s k y o u r d o c t o r i f y o u r h e a r i n g l o s s i s w o r k - r e l a t e d

ZZ08-05_maq2.indd 1 18/06/08 10:38:39