This is going to start very randomly, but stick with me as I promise there will eventually be a point.

Many years ago (I think 2005) I was a contestant on “Wheel Of Fortune.” It was a lot of fun as I went out to LA with two great friends. I won some money and a trip to Maui. We went out that night and celebrated. A woman from Georgia was the big winner which was actually great. She had told me and the other contestant that her car had broke down and she needed a new one. She ended up winning over $40,000 and a new car! It was honestly better than if I won.

Going into the last puzzle it was anyone’s game. It was my turn and I guessed the letter T. There were two of them and the first word had five letters. I then guessed H and it was the second letter of the first word. I just knew that the first word was think. It came time for the final spin and I guessed R for some reason and got buzzed. The puzzle eventually came around to me and I guessed I because I was sure it was the third letter. It wasn’t and I couldn’t solve it in time. The winner solved in on her next turn. The answer was “Thank you for not smoking.”

So What Does Any Of This Have To Do With Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law?

My problem on that last puzzle was that I was so tunnel visioned that I could not look around and see other options. I was 100% convinced the first word was Think that I didn’t consider anything else.

Well I will get callers to my office who want advice on FMLA and I will discover that they are off work due to something that is likely a work related injury. It’s typically a situation where someone has a back injury from years of lifting or some other work activity, but never had an actual accident.

This was the situation that came up recently when I spoke to a bus driver who was getting denied FMLA. He had driven a bus for over a decade. He constantly drove over pot holes and was jarred in his seat, bouncing up and down. It also took a lot of force and leaning to open the door. That was an activity he would do over 100 times per shift.

I explained to him that he could pursue FMLA, but that would not pay his medical bills or his time off work. In the alternative, we could talk to his doctor and ask if his diagnosis of back arthritis was caused in part by his job duties. I let him know that this would not only pay for his medical bills and time off work (something FMLA does not do) but also would be a quicker process. On top of that, while often you have to pay for a labor lawyer, there is never an upfront cost to hire a work comp attorney. And even better, if he did have a valid case, there is no limit to how long he can be on work comp – FMLA is 12 weeks – and eventually he could even get a significant settlement.

Despite all of this information, this caller only wanted to talk FMLA. He would not consider anything else. It reminded me of myself on The Wheel.

What I tell people is that you should be goal focused. Don’t worry about what the law is called or how you achieve success, just worry about getting success.

Ironically, his biggest concern was losing his job. Work comp actually would give him a better chance of protecting it. That’s because if they did not take him back it would likely greatly increase what the case is worth.

This was not a one off situation. I have calls like this all of the time. Ultimately it is your life and up to you to decide what to do. But I really do recommend that you focus on goals above all else. Tunnel vision will not make you a winner!