About Us

We Work On A National Level Providing Exceptional Expert Opinion.

We are Independent Rehabilitation Services, Inc., the leading provider of vocational services for Workers’ Compensation, Liability, Long-Term Disability, Divorce, ADA Law, and Employment Law cases for the greater Chicago area since 1990. For our regional clients, we serve Central Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. Additionally, we work on a national level providing exceptional expert opinion.

Our staff has over 70 years’ experience assisting companies and organizations with a variety of Vocational Rehabilitation Services with strong ethical standards. These services include Vocational Evaluation, Expert Testimony, Labor Market Research, Transferable Skills Analyses, Job Analyses and Job Placement Services.

Independent Rehabilitation Services was founded in 1990 by David Patsavas, MA and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), who still serves as the Owner and President. David has worked in vocational counseling and rehabilitation for over 30 years, starting with the Illinois Department of Mental Health as the Director of Vocational Rehabilitation at Henry Horner Children and Adolescent Center.

David started the company over 25 years ago and has obtained a reputation throughout the state in providing ethical services for industrial injured clients. David has testified on numerous occasions for both the Respondent as well as the Petitioner. He has also testified in high profile liability cases on a State and National level. He has served as President of the Illinois Rehabilitation Association and  President of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals – Illinois Chapter.

Kathleen is President of Independent Rehabilitation Services and has been with the company since 2010. Her expertise comes from her employment at Sedgwick Insurance in Chicago as a Return to Work Specialist as well as Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital as a Vocational Counselor working with individuals with head injuries, spinal cord injuries, strokes, amputations, etc.  Kathleen has completed Vocational Assessments and Expert Opinion on marital dissolution cases, long term disability, worker’s compensation, liability, Social Security and age discrimination.

Kathleen is the current President of the Midwest Chapter of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals.  She has previously served as President of the Illinois Rehabilitation Association and past Secretary and Board Member of the Coalition of Illinois Counselor Organizations. 

Dr. Leslie Lloyd is a Doctor of Rehabilitation (Rh.D.), Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), Diplomate with the American Board of Vocational Experts (ABVE/D), and holds the International Psychometric Evaluation Certification (IPEC). With over 30 years’ experience working with persons with disabilities, Dr. Lloyd provides vocational assessment and testing, transferable skills analysis, job analysis, job placement, labor market research, job search assessment, and earning capacity assessment.

She has been qualified as a Vocational Expert by Social Security since 1995, with service provision in medical and vocational rehabilitation case management for insurance, workers’ compensation, long-term disability, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Program. She has years of experience in depositions and interrogatories in disability and workers’ compensation cases and can provide file consultation to identify vocational issues, which can be a valuable tool when live expert testimony is not necessary.

The ABVE sets forth formal standards for certified Vocational Experts. Dr. Lloyd  holds the requisite experience in vocational assessment, testing, job analysis, job placement, job surveys, earning capacity assessment and has provided expert testimony in all these areas. She successfully passed the required ABVE examination at the highest level – diplomate – receiving formal approval of her forensic work product.

Eric Flanagan is a Chicago based Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and a Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS). He joined Independent Rehabilitation Services, Inc. in 2020 and has worked in private rehabilitation since 2010.

In addition to counseling, Eric has worked with private companies, law firms, and the insurance industry on a variety of return-to-work issues for individuals with disabilities. He also has extensive experience presenting educational content to insurance companies and law firms in the largest midwest legal markets.

Eric has experience serving adults with disabilities in the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Dane County Public Defender’s Office, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Eric currently services on the Board of Visitors at the University of Wisconsin School of Education and is the Vice-President of a Madison, WI based Educational Foundation. While in grad school, he served on the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Counselor and Educators Association (WRCEA) board.

Marlena Gibson is Independent Rehabilitation’s Job Development Coordinator. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and joined the company in 2019. She has worked in private vocational rehabilitation since 2011. Marlena provides Job Development and Job Placement Services to clients who have sustained work-related injuries. She also provides Vocational Expert testimony for the Social Security Administration.

Prior to joining private rehabilitation, Marlena worked as a program coordinator for youths with disabilities and in the vocational rehabilitation program of the State of Florida, where she specialized in services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. 

Jeremy Rosene is a Carbondale based Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). He joined Independent Rehabilitation Services in 2022 and has worked in the Rehabilitation field since 2013.

In addition to mental health counseling, Jeremy has worked in a variety of settings including private for profit companies where he developed vocational programs, non-profits, prisons, schools, and insurance companies. Jeremy has experience serving adults and adolescents with disabilities. Jeremy currently serves as the Membership Committee Chairperson for the Midwest Chapter of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals.

We look forward to putting our expertise to work for you.

OUR COMPANY’S goal is to ensure each person referred to us is given top quality Vocational Rehabilitation Services. We believe in keeping ethics first and foremost in all that we do. Independent Rehab staff belongs to several professional associations, including: The International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals – Illinois, the National Rehabilitation Association, the Illinois Rehabilitation Association, and the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.