We recently corresponded with Edmond Provder, CEO and Founder of Occupational Assessment Services (OAS). Edmond is a certified rehabilitation counselor, Diplomate of the American Board of Vocational Experts, Commissioner of LCP, and certified life care planner. Throughout his extensive career, Mr. Provder has provided rehabilitation services to and evaluated the vocational and employability potential of over six thousand individuals. He helps people with an injury and their attorneys assess the economic amount and impact of the injured person’s damages.

Please tell us a little about your professional background as it relates to personal injury consulting services.

I have spent my entire 48-year career working with injured persons. My educational background is a Bachelor’s, Master’s degree, and 42 doctorial credits in Rehabilitation Counseling with a specialty in working with the disabled. I have worked in private rehabilitation agencies as well as Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City.  I was the youngest vocational expert at age 27 retained by the federal government and testified in over 2,5000 cases as a Social Security Vocational Expert. In addition, I was one of the first Life Care Planners and am now one of the Commissioners of Life Care Planning.

Is there anything else about your work that people may find of interest?

I have served as a Vocational Expert for the Social Security Administration for nearly a decade by providing impartial vocational testimonies in over 2,500 Social Security Disability hearings, and have also provided expert witness testimonies in hundreds of cases in federal and state courts throughout the country.

What are some typical services that you provide to law firms on behalf of clients injured in an accident?  

Our company provides employability, earning capacity, and Life Care Plan evaluations on non-catastrophic and catastrophic cases to document the case damages.

We have been involved in many cases including the World Trade Center, Pentagon, the first Pelvic Mesh case, and just before the pandemic a case which obtained a verdict of $102 million for a plaintiff who fell four stories resulting in brain damage and an uncontrollable seizure disorder.

What is the process that you undertake for establishing damages in a personal injury case?

A vocational evaluation consists of four parts: A review of medical records, depositions, and wage information. A standard diagnostic interview is conducted with the plaintiff, which is followed by vocational testing. After a comprehensive review of this information, an opinion is formulated regarding their employability and earning capacity. In a catastrophic case, a Life Care Plan is also provided which details the type of care and the cost of care in the Plaintiff’s geographic area. Live medical cost research is done for each item and summarized on the Life Care Plan Summary Chart.

What advice do you have for injured people regarding how to best assist you in helping them prove their damages?

We have vocational and household service forms which are forwarded to the Plaintiff prior to the vocational interview. The injured person should complete these as thoroughly as possible as well as provide a resume if available and wage information for 4 years prior to the accident.

What do you enjoy the most about your work?

I have been performing the same work for many years and I find the work challenging and rewarding as I help the injured person fully document their case damages and provide a blueprint of their long-term medical needs through the Life Care Plan.

Pro Tip:   Personal injury cases that involve significant injuries sometimes require the services of a rehabilitation counselor who can help in a variety of accident cases. Should you have any questions about your Connecticut accident case, please contact us.