In Case You Missed It by the GOAL Magazine Team

Here's a recap of our last issue ...

BANDING TOGETHER

A fund memorializes a “super fan” and benefits Hempfield’s marching band

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MAGAZINE

Banding Together A fund memorializes a "super fan" and benefits Hempfield's marching band Page 24

The Winter 2020 Issue of GOAL Magazine was released in January and featured local legend, Terry Ranieri. Terry had a unique,

INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT TO A GROUP EFFORT | Winter 2020

joyful spirit that impacted thousands of lives in the Hempfield community and beyond before his death on August 22, 2019 at age 64. Terry was born with Williams Syndrome, a genetic disorder sometimes referred to as the “happy syndrome,” because people with the disorder often have a friendly, markedly outgoing personality as well as mild to moderate learning disabilities. It is also common, as in Terry’s case, for those affected to have a fondness for music. His love for Hempfield Area School District’s marching band was legendary. Thanks to efforts by his family and friends, the band will benefit from a fund established in his memory at The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.

L to R Jessica Urbanik, Danny Ranieri, Tony Ranieri, Linda DeFloria and Tawnya Rockwell.

Terry t-shirts and sweatshirts may be purchased online at www.companycasuals.com/ terryranierishirtsite

Contributions to the Terry Ranieri Memorial Fund may be made online at cfwestmoreland.org/ terryranieri

The Cover Reveal event was hosted at Giannilli’s II in Greensburg. Attendees included GOAL magazine contributors, family and friends of the Ranieri family. Tony Ranieri, Linda DeFloria and Danny Ranieri shared stories about their brother, Terry, bringing the crowd to tears and laughter.

Jessica Urbanik and Tawnya Rockwell from GOAL Magazine presented the Ranieri family with a canvas of the magazine cover.

by Jessica Rafferty QA & with QR Attorneys

Jessica Rafferty focuses her practice in the areas of civil litigation and family law. She has been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 as well as the Westmoreland Academy of Trial Lawyers. She has also earned the distinction of being admitted into the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum – fewer than 1% of the United States lawyers are members.

As I mentioned in a previous article, the ability to help clients navigate a variety of legal issues is one of the reasons QuatriniRafferty is unique. We are able to do this because we have 16 attorneys in our firm and we each focus our practices in different areas of the law. This allows us to best serve our clients because many times legal issues overlap. In these situations, we are able to work as a team to coordinate the client’s cases to make the whole process more efficient and get the best result possible for the client. In addition, as people’s lives change so do their legal needs. We’re really proud to be able to help people through all phases of their lives.

Over the next couple of issues, I’ll briefly introduce you to some of our attorneys and provide you with answers to commonly asked questions within their respective practice areas.

I’ll start with me. As I think you all know by now, I’m Jessica Rafferty. I grew up in Latrobe, graduated from Latrobe High School, went on to Bucknell University and then George Mason University School of Law. I’ve been an attorney at QuatriniRafferty for over ten years. I focus my practice in the areas of Family Law, Wills & Estates and Civil Litigation. In the area of Family Law, I am often asked the following:

Question: Do grandparents have a right to file for custody of their grandchildren in Pennsylvania?

Answer: Yes. Under Pennsylvania law grandparents and greatgrandparents are permitted to file for partial physical custody of their grandchildren under certain circumstances, which include:

• if the parent of the child is deceased, a parent or grandparent of the deceased parent may file for partial physical custody (ex: if Father dies, Paternal Grandma may file for partial physical custody of the child);

• if grandparents had a prior relationship with the child and now the parents of the child have: (1) filed for custody (i.e., Mom vs. Dad); and (2) the parents do not agree whether the grandparents should be able to see the child; OR

• if the child has lived with the grandparent for a period of at least 12 consecutive months. In this case, the grandparents must file for custody within 6 months from the date the child is no longer living with the grandparents.

One key is to make sure you have the right medical evidence for each program, since the standards are all different.

Vince Quatrini, is one of the founding partners of our firm. He is a Latrobe High School graduate, he went on to Saint Vincent College and then Duquesne University School of Law. For over 44 years, Vince has focused his practice in the area of Workers’ Compensation. A question that Vince is commonly asked is:

Question: I was hurt at work. I am receiving Workers Compensation, for a Rotator Cuff tear. My company also has a Long Term Disability policy for its workers. And, at age 55, my doctor is saying I will not be able to ever go back to the kind of work I was doing when I got hurt. And, one more thing – I have a disability clause in my pension. People are telling me that I should be entitled to all of these disability benefits. Is that true?

Answer: At first blush, yes, you may qualify for all of these disability benefits. We regularly do this type of analysis for our clients since we have attorneys who are knowledgeable about Workers Compensation, Long Term Disability, Social Security Disability, and Disability Pensions. One key is to make sure you have the right medical evidence for each program, since the standards are all different. A second key is to determine how each of these benefits impact each other – and then to figure out how to maximize your monthly income from combining the benefits. In most cases, you cannot exceed your pre-disability gross income – but, again, the key is timing – which benefit(s) are best short term and which are best long term. In the end, the goal is to secure your financial Peace of Mind.

QuatriniRafferty is recognized as The Injury and Disability Law Firm, with offices in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, and Altoona. The firm’s 16 local lawyers specialize in workers’ compensation, personal injury, social security disability, car accidents, wills and estate planning, long-term disability, and nursing home injuries. The firm was founded in 1987. Find out more about QuatriniRafferty by visiting www.qrlegal.com.

Tereasa Rerko is a partner at the firm and focuses her practice in the area of Social Security Disability. Tereasa received her B.A. from California University of Pennsylvania and went on to Duquesne University School of Law. She is commonly asked is:

Question: Do I owe income taxes on my Social Security Disability?

Answer: While it is considered “taxable” income, whether or not you will owe any taxes on it depends upon the total amount of your taxable income noted on your tax return. If you want to have taxes withheld from your Social Security Disability checks you can complete an IRS Form and give it to the Social Security office for processing. It is currently called IRS Form W-4V.

In addition to the three practice areas mentioned above, we have attorneys who handle the following: Personal Injury; Wills & Estates; Long-Term Disability; Veterans’ Disability; Employment Law; and Criminal Litigation. If you have any questions for any of our attorneys, please do not hesitate to call. It would be our pleasure to talk with you!