A. Bentley Hankins, Ph.D., is the principal of Hankins & Hankins Vocational Consulting and offers specialized skills, knowledge and experience as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, consultant and expert witness.
Vocational rehabilitation counseling services are provided to members of the general public who request career guidance as well as to long-term disability and workers’ compensation recipients who need assistance with defining appropriate vocational goals, acquiring job skills and returning to work.
Vocational rehabilitation consulting and expert witness services, which usually include performance of independent vocational and/or rehabilitation economic evaluations, are provided in a variety of legal cases in which the employment and/or earning potential of the plaintiff(s) are at issue. Provision of such services includes Dr. Hankins’ current contract with the Social Security Administration where he serves as a vocational expert and assists administrative law judges in making determinations about claimants’ residual employability. Aside from this contract, Dr. Hankins offers his consulting and expert witness services as a means of employment-related litigation support to both plaintiff and defense counsel.
Dr. Hankins applies his extensive education and experience in vocational rehabilitation through provision of the following services:
A comprehensive records review constitutes an integral and indispensable facet within the realm of virtually every independent vocational and/or rehabilitation
A crucial component of the evaluation process, the Client/Evaluee Interview takes place in a structured manner, typically following the
In the realm of Vocational and Psychometric Testing, a nuanced and intricate process unfolds, encompassing an array of standardized assessments
An essential facet within vocational evaluation, the Occupational/Job Analysis procedure is undertaken to discern the fundamental characteristics associated with a
Labor market research is regularly completed as part of assessing a client’s or evaluee’s employment and earning potential. Labor market
In the realm of vocational evaluation, Transferable Skills Analysis emerges as a strategic compass, guiding individuals towards alternative avenues of
The impact of an injury or incident on an individual’s labor market access, and thus his or her employment potential,
An earning capacity analysis is performed in cases in which it is necessary to determine the impact of an injury
In wrongful death cases in most jurisdictions (Kentucky and West Virginia are exceptions), it is necessary to account for the
In wrongful death cases and catastrophic injury cases, economic losses may include calculation of the value of household services the
In catastrophic personal injury cases (e.g. cases involving spinal cord injury), a life care plan is sometimes prepared detailing the
A written report that includes a detailed explanation of Dr. Hankins’ analysis and findings will be prepared upon request. In
Consultation may be provided on a forensic case even when Dr. Hankins is not retained as an expert witness. Consultation
Expert witness testimony will be provided by Dr. Hankins as necessary via a deposition or trial appearance (aside from the
Work adjustment counseling is typically provided to a client who is either seeking to return to work after an extended
Job-seeking skills training is often provided when providing rehabilitation counseling services to clients seeking to find and secure new employment.
Primary areas of service include the following metropolitan areas (as well as surrounding non-metropolitan areas) in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.
