Chicago workers compensation attorney view on job stress.
Although Illinois is probably the most employee friendly state for injured workers, one injury that usually is not covered is stress. I'm talking about the stress that comes from your boss yelling at you, having to work long hours, being under pressure for deadlines, etc.. That type of stress is legitimate, but under Illinois workers' compensation laws you can't receive compensation for any problem related to it unless it is part of a physical injury. e.g. If your boss pushes you in the chest while yelling at you and that leads to panic attacks, that would be a case because of the physical act of touching you. But if it's just yelling then it's probably not covered.
The exception to this is if the stress you experience is severe and shocking. A recent caller to our office provides a good example of what we mean.
The caller bravely served our country in Iraq. When he was there he was a medic and saw some terrible things such as bodies that had literally been torn apart. He received counseling for that years ago, but has had that trauma pretty much under control for years.
Flash forward to 2009 and he works as an EMT downstate. Long story short is that there was a fire with some charred bodies and he was part of the response team. Seeing these bodies led to severe post traumatic stress disorder due to the memories of Iraq flooding back to him. He has received psychological counseling that confirms this and is under a doctor's care and authorized off work. It has been suggested that he change careers.
Seeing charred or dead bodies qualifies as severe and shocking. Not everyone will have a stress reaction to that just as not everyone that lifts a heavy box at work hurts their back. But if you do have a reaction and it's legitimate, then you have a case.
We are workers' compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact Us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
