I’ve had a torn rotator cuff that lead me to stop playing competitive soccer and basketball. I’ve had back pain that has stopped me from running marathons. My point is that I get the urge to stop doing something if your pain is causing a problem.
That said, if your pain is due to a work injury and you are still getting treatment for it, don’t quit.
You can still bring an Illinois workers’ compensation case if you are injured at work and quit, but it will limit your benefits. They’ll have to pay for all of your medical bills still and we’ll be able to get you a settlement when you are all better. But if you resign and are given restrictions by your doctor that limit your work, you won’t be able to receive TTD benefits (lost time pay) because your employer can lie and say that they would have accommodated your restrictions only if you hadn’t quit.
Even if your doctor takes you fully off work, the insurance company can get an IME which will say you can do the lightest of duty, sitting in an office, and if they get that they’ll be able to cut off your benefits.
The counter argument to this is that your job is making your pain and injury worse. Like I said, I get that. The way to handle that is to immediately go to YOUR doctor, a doctor who will look out for you, and tell them what you notice when you try to do your job. If they take you off work, you get paid until you are better. If you get restrictions that the employer can’t accommodate, you get paid until the restrictions are lifted. If they say they can accommodate the restrictions, but are lying or pressure you to do work that you shouldn’t, that’s where we step in.
Beyond all of this, if you stop working by your own choice and your condition gets worse, they could cut off your medical benefits by saying that clearly it’s not the fault of the job because you aren’t working and still aren’t getting better so it must be something else. It’s a flimsy argument, but it’s used all of the time.
Bottom line is that this is a long term play that is focused on your health and your best interests. Definitely don’t do anything without talking to a lawyer first. We cover all of Illinois and are happy to give you a free consultation any time at (312) 346-5578.