A recent caller was upset. He had hurt his back while working in Palatine a few months ago and was sent to a Buffalo Grove doctor for an Independent Medical Exam (“IME”). This is a one time exam the insurance company can request to have one of their doctors examine an injured worker. It’s very common and often these doctors say what the insurance company wants to hear.
The caller was mad because he’s done everything the insurance company asked for and now they won’t give him a copy of the report. To make matters worse, he hasn’t received a check for being off work for five weeks. He then called the doctor whose office told him, rather rudely, that they don’t have to give him the report and they won’t.
So he called us wanting to know what to do.
There are some matters you can take care of on your own and some that need an attorney. In this case, he needs to get a formal case filed and then issue a subpoena to the doctor for a copy of the report. This is what a lawyer does. To boot we’d also make the doctor provide a copy of the letter the insurance company wrote to them and their entire file.
On top of this, we’d likely file a 19b trial motion for the missed time and a petition for penalties and fees to punish the delay in sending the check.
For the caller this is an emotional situation and that’s understandable. The insurance company is screwing with his life. But for a lawyer, we take the emotion out of a situation and focus on how to solve a problem. In this case, it’s an easy problem for us to solve. And that should be why you get a lawyer. To solve a problem or prevent one from happening.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys who 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.
