Cole Sorrentino Hurley Hewner & Gambino PC

09/03/2026

A light duty assignment can still be too demanding if it exceeds your written medical restrictions. 🩺 Before your first shift back, confirm whether your provider cleared you for full duty, restricted duty, or additional time away from work.

In Buffalo, your return plan should match the real physical demands of the job. Lifting limits, hours, standing, climbing, driving, machinery use, and required breaks should be clearly documented. If modified duties do not match those restrictions, raise the issue before starting when possible. ⚠️

Returning to work may also affect wage benefits. If your injury keeps you from earning your preinjury wages, reduced earnings benefits may apply and can equal two thirds of the difference, subject to claim rules and limits. Keep pay stubs, schedules, medical reports, and records of missed time. 📄

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. also reminds injured workers to report their return, plus changes in hours or wages, to the appropriate parties. Medical care may continue after you resume working, and worsening symptoms should be reported promptly. ✅

Review the full article for return to work steps, documentation tips, and benefit considerations: https://www.colesorrentino.com/returning-to-work-after-summer-injury-buffalo-workers-compensation/

Returning to work after a summer workplace injury should begin with medical clearance, written work restrictions, and a clear understanding of the duties

09/03/2026

No upfront payment is required when our team represents you in a workers’ compensation matter. ⚖️ Attorney fees are not paid directly by the client at the beginning of the case.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. represents workers’ compensation clients in Buffalo. Under the process described here, a workers’ compensation attorney receives a fee only when money moves to the client as the result of a hearing, settlement, or another agreement between the parties. 💵

That means a client may still receive representation even when their claim has not produced a payment. Our team can continue protecting the client’s interests without collecting an upfront fee. 📋

The key distinction is when an attorney fee becomes available. If no money ever moves to the client, the attorney does not collect a fee. If money does move to the client through the claim, that can create the basis for the attorney to be paid. ✅ This is general information, not legal advice.

Concerned that the cost of an attorney is keeping you from asking questions about your workers’ compensation claim? Contact our team to discuss how attorney fees work in your situation.

09/01/2026

An accepted offer does not mean your home is ready to transfer. 🏠 Unresolved title, disclosure, payoff, or repair issues can put your planned fall closing at risk.

Selling a home in Buffalo? August is the time to confirm every owner who must sign, gather your deed and survey, and request payoff information for each mortgage, loan, or credit line. 🔑 An old mortgage release, lien, or unclear permit record may require additional documents before closing.

New York also requires many sellers of one to four family residential properties to deliver a Property Condition Disclosure Statement before the buyer signs a binding contract. If that statement later becomes materially inaccurate, a revised statement may be required as soon as practicable. 📋

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. encourages sellers to put material agreements in writing. Repair obligations should identify the work, who will perform it, the completion deadline, and whether receipts, permits, warranties, or reinspection are required. ✍️ Keep homeowners insurance active until your attorney confirms title has transferred.

Review all 8 legal preparation steps before your fall home sale moves toward closing. Read the full article here: https://www.colesorrentino.com/selling-buffalo-home-before-fall-legal-steps-august/

Selling a Buffalo home before fall can be realistic when you begin the legal work in August. Before an accepted offer turns every unresolved item into a

09/01/2026

The ground you identify for divorce can shape the questions you need to raise before moving forward. ⚖️ Understanding what applies to your circumstances is an important part of preparing for a divorce in New York.

For someone considering divorce, the starting point is personal. What happened in the marriage? What circumstances are relevant to the filing? What information should be discussed with an attorney? 📋 Those questions can help organize the conversation before legal decisions are made.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. handles divorce matters for clients in Buffalo. Our team can review the circumstances surrounding a marriage and discuss how the available divorce process may apply to an individual situation. 🏛️

Avoid assuming that another person’s divorce experience will match yours. The facts and concerns involved can differ, so getting information that addresses your own circumstances can help you understand the issues that may need attention. This is general information and is not legal advice.

Considering divorce and unsure what questions to ask about the grounds involved? Contact our team to discuss your circumstances, or share the question you would want answered first.

08/27/2026

A school injury can become harder to prove when the report is delayed. 🍎 Teachers and other school employees should create a clear record of what happened and seek appropriate medical care promptly.

New York generally requires written notice to the employer within 30 days after an accidental workplace injury. An incident report alone may not file your workers’ compensation claim. In many accidental injury cases, Form C 3 can be filed with the Workers’ Compensation Board within two years. ⚖️

Falls, lifting injuries, student related incidents, repetitive strain, infectious exposure, and accidents during assigned travel can all raise workers’ compensation issues. Medical records should identify when and how the injury occurred and every affected body part. 🩺 Keep copies of reports, photographs, witness information, work restrictions, and insurer correspondence.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. assists injured workers in Buffalo and nearby Western New York communities. Our team can review claim deadlines, medical treatment issues, lost wage benefits, hearings, denials, and settlement questions. 📋 Workers may also need to coordinate sick leave, union benefits, disability benefits, or other employment related programs.

Read our full article about workers’ compensation claims for teachers and school employees: https://www.colesorrentino.com/buffalo-teachers-school-employees-workers-compensation-claims/

If you teach or work in a Buffalo-area school, New York workers’ compensation may cover medical care and part of your lost wages when an injury or illness

08/27/2026

Workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability benefits can overlap when a work related injury also affects your ability to work long term. ⚖️ Receiving one type of benefit does not necessarily mean the other should be ignored.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. handles workers’ compensation matters in Buffalo. Our team helps injured workers understand the benefits that may be involved after a workplace injury, including situations where Social Security Disability is also part of the picture. 📋

The key issue is that these are separate benefit programs. Workers’ compensation addresses job related injuries, while Social Security Disability involves disability benefits through the Social Security system. Their interaction can affect what an injured worker ultimately receives. 💵

That makes it important to understand how the programs may work together before making decisions about a workers’ compensation claim. Individual circumstances can differ, and eligibility for either program depends on the applicable requirements.

Are you already receiving one benefit and wondering whether the other may apply? Contact our team with your questions about workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability.

08/25/2026

A new school year can bring a new child care bill, but it does not automatically change your child support order. 🎒 The existing payment remains enforceable until a court approves a modification.

In New York, modification may be possible after a substantial change in circumstances. Depending on your order, other grounds can include three years passing since it was entered or modified, or either parent’s gross income changing by at least 15%. ⚖️

School related changes can matter too. New after-school care, a lasting parenting schedule change, new medical or educational needs, or a change in health insurance costs may warrant review. Routine clothing and school supplies generally are not enough on their own. 📚

Timing matters. Support arrears that accrued before a modification application was made cannot be reduced or annulled. Keep the current order, pay stubs, tax returns, child care invoices, receipts, and a clear timeline of what changed. 🗂️

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. represents parents in Buffalo and throughout Western New York. Our team can review the circumstances and discuss available options. Read our full article on child support changes before school starts: https://www.colesorrentino.com/can-child-support-change-before-school-starts-new-york/

Yes, child support can change before the school year starts in New York, but the return to school does not automatically increase or decrease an existing

08/25/2026

Unmarried parents can face child custody questions even without a divorce case. ⚖️ Understanding how custody, parenting time, and paternity fit into the process can help parents identify the issues they may need to address.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. provides family law services in Buffalo, including child custody matters for unmarried parents. 👨‍👩‍👧 Our team can help parents understand the legal process surrounding custody and their available options.

Questions involving where a child will live, how parenting time will work, and how parental rights are established can have a lasting impact on a family. 🏠 Each family's circumstances are different, so the appropriate path can depend on the specific facts involved.

For unmarried parents, paternity may also be an important part of the broader family law picture. Our team handles paternity, visitation rights, child custody, and child support matters, helping clients better understand how these issues may connect. 📋

Have questions about child custody as an unmarried parent? Contact our team to discuss your circumstances, or share this post with someone who may be trying to understand their options.

08/20/2026

Seven days before closing is no time to discover your lender still needs documents, your title issue remains unresolved, or your wiring instructions have suddenly changed. 🏠 A last minute delay can disrupt movers, a lease expiration, another purchase, or even a mortgage rate lock.

During the final week, ask for written confirmation that the loan is cleared, title objections are resolved, insurance is accepted, repairs are documented, and closing funds are ready. ✅ Silence does not mean every condition has been completed.

Buyers should also review the Closing Disclosure as soon as it arrives. For many mortgage transactions, it must be provided at least three business days before consummation. 💵 Certain changes, including an inaccurate APR, a changed loan product, or an added prepayment penalty, may require a new three business day review period.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. helps buyers and sellers in Buffalo address real estate contracts, title matters, closing documents, and transaction problems. Our team also encourages buyers to independently verify wiring instructions using a trusted phone number before sending funds. 🔐

See our article for 10 issues that can postpone a closing and a practical final week checklist: https://www.colesorrentino.com/august-home-closings-buffalo-final-week-delays/

An August home closing in Buffalo can carry a firm personal deadline. You may need to move before school begins, complete another purchase, leave a rental

08/20/2026

A scheduled loss may apply when a workplace injury results in permanent loss of use involving certain parts of the body. 🩺 For an injured worker, understanding what type of workers’ compensation benefit may apply is an important part of evaluating a claim.

Cole, Sorrentino, Hurley, Hewner & Gambino, P.C. handles workers’ compensation matters, including scheduled loss claims. These claims can involve injuries affecting areas such as an arm, hand, leg, foot, fingers, toes, vision, or hearing. ⚖️

A scheduled loss is different from benefits connected to ongoing wage loss. The nature of the injury and the resulting permanent loss of use can affect how a workers’ compensation claim is addressed. 📋

For workers in Buffalo, knowing which category an injury may fall into can help clarify what questions to raise during the claims process. Our team can review the circumstances of a workplace injury and discuss the workers’ compensation issues involved.

Were you left with a permanent loss of use after an injury at work? Contact our team with your questions about whether a scheduled loss may be relevant to your workers’ compensation claim.