Brain Injury Legal Expert Available to Comment on United States Senate Commerce Committee Hearings on National Football League Disability Plan

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationally recognized traumatic brain injury legal expert, Michael V. Kaplen, Esq. will be in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 18th, to participate in the hearings conducted by the Senate Commerce Committee regarding the NFL Players Disability Plan and the manner that brain damaged players have been treated. Kaplen is available for comment and interviews on brain injury issues.

Kaplen is the three-term president of the Brain Injury Association of New York State, a position he held for the past eight years and the current Chair of the New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council. He is the former chair of the American Association For Justice, Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group.

Michael Kaplen has been consulted by many brain-damaged players who have been wrongfully denied disability benefits by the NFL Disability Plan. He has reviewed many of their files and the determinations by the league. He can speak to the improper denials issued by the league, the failure on the part of the league to follow the latest medical evidence on concussions and their long term affects, the failure of the league to adhere to established legal principals of due process and fundamental fairness. According to Kaplen, "When it comes to concussions and legal determinations as to whether a player has sustained brain damage, the league's position is heads I win, tails you lose." Kaplen goes on to state, "It is outrageous that the league has stacked the deck against the players, and it's time for Congress to act and rectify the injustices that have deprived victims of brain trauma of their legal rights."

Kaplen, a New York lawyer whose practice focuses on representing victims of traumatic brain injury, was the first to call for congressional hearings into how the NFL responds to traumatic brain injury and concussions. He is a frequent lecturer to bar associations, brain injury associations and medical groups on public policy issues pertaining to brain damage, legal issues in representing persons and family members following brain trauma, and brain injury awareness and prevention.

Kaplen who has taught courses in medical malpractice law and trial practice at St. John's University School of Law has more than 25 years of experience in representing victims of brain trauma. He can discuss the crisis of concussions in professional and amateur sports; the dangers of concussions; the signs and symptoms of concussions; concussion management; and legal issues when individuals sustain a traumatic brain injury.

Kaplen will tell you about the "silent epidemic" of brain injury: that there is no such thing as a "minor" brain injury and that brain injury is a tragic and misunderstood injury that has devastating and life long consequences.

Michael Kaplen is also the author of the popular blog, Brain Injury News and Information, www.braininjury.blogs.com, which provides information about new developments in areas of traumatic brain injury including: the latest medical research, brain injury rehabilitation, legal matters pertaining to brain injury, brain injury prevention, insurance issues, concussions and sports issues.

Kaplen is a partner in the New York brain injury law firm of De Caro & Kaplen, LLP. He is Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

He can be contacted at 212 732 2262 or by email at mvk.brainlaw@verizon.net.