One of the funniest movies ever is “Animal House” and the best scene is when Chicago’s own John Belushi gives a speech at the end. He says, “Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”
I thought of this great scene the other day when a woman called me, not for help with her Illinois workers’ compensation claim, but to get my thoughts as to whether or not she could get social security disability benefits following a knee replacement surgery.
I asked her how she hurt herself and she told me at work. I then asked why she wasn’t getting work comp benefits and she told me that she tried, but the case was denied. “So I figured that was that and the case was over” she said to me.
Over? When it comes to your Illinois work injury case, nothing is over until we decide it is!
Injuries get denied every day. Insurance companies don’t just give money away, even when they are clearly in the wrong. So when they deny you, you have to go through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and file for a trial.
Sadly in this case, she already has a lawyer and a doctor who said her need for surgery is due to the work injury, but for some reason her attorney hasn’t done anything. The good news is that she can easily switch law firms. The bad news is that she’s been without money coming in for no reason other than hiring a firm that doesn’t appear to know what they are doing.
No matter your case facts though, just remember that a denial letter from an insurance company is not the be all end all. It may mean that you have a fight on your hand. It may mean you really don’t have a case. It might mean they’ll roll over once a lawyer who knows what to do is involved. Whatever the situation, make sure you get an opinion from an attorney, don’t just take the insurance company at their word. I know this will be shocking to you, but they aren’t always honest. :)
And of course a consultation with an attorney should be free. If you’d like to speak to us about a case, call us at (312) 346-5578 or fill out our contact form and we will call you. We cover all of Illinois.
