I’ve written before about how Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner wants to change the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act in a way that would screw employees and take away many of their rights.  It would blow up the system.

Well now Rauner wants to literally blow up the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC).  The IWCC is headquartered in Chicago at the Thompson Center which is right next to public transportation and since it’s in the middle of the Loop, it’s easy for lawyers and workers to get to.

Rumor has it that the new IWCC will be at 400 W. Superior which is a Government building that the State currently rents space from. So why should you as an injured worker care about this?

The biggest problem injured workers face is hiring a lazy lawyer. I have seen many times where an attorney won’t walk to court during one of our harsh Chicago winters.  Well now that walk got a lot longer or the attorney is going to have to spring for a $10 cab ride.  The last thing we need to do is make the job of a lazy attorney more difficult.  You might also, unfairly, have to pay for a cab just to have your day in court.

We’ve always told callers/readers not to hire a suburban lawyer for a Chicago case and this will just enhance that.  Beware the lawyer who tries to bill their travel costs to your file. This should not happen, but I’m sure a few will try to be sneaky about it.  That’s simply a cost of doing business.

I don’t think Rauner did this, unlike his other acts, to try to hurt Illinois workers, but I can already see the problems that are coming because of the inconvenience this will create.  It’s great for Uber drivers and if you have some extra money you’d be wise to lease a space near there and sell food because right now it’s rather empty.

Big picture is that it’s nothing to worry about now, but something to look out for in the future.  Make sure you aren’t getting billed in a bogus manner.  And look out for firms that try to get one lawyer to cover all of their cases, even the ones which they aren’t familiar with, to avoid paying transportation or parking fees.