The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) employees over 4,800 workers and while some of them are paper pushers, most are working to make sure that our bridges and roads are safe. Their work can be as simple as removing roadway debris to as serious as making repairs. Because these are often heavy labor jobs there … Continue Reading
Under Illinois workers’ compensation law, you are entitled to reasonable medical care related to your injury and 100% of it is to be paid for by the employer or their insurance company. Seems pretty straight forward, right? You get hurt at work, they pay for your care and if you don’t have health insurance it … Continue Reading
The number one Illinois workers’ compensation law question we get is “What is my case worth?” The second, especially of late, is how long will my case take? The two questions are similar, in that the answers really depend on your case facts, as well as your lawyer. By far, the most important part of … Continue Reading
One of the things that makes us unique is that we will talk to anyone about their Illinois work injury and will answer your questions. A lot of those questions end up as blog posts, but some of them are great questions that wouldn’t make a great blog post. So every now and then we … Continue Reading
A settlement demand is the process in which your attorney writes to the insurance company and/or their attorney and tells them what they think your case is worth and why. In some areas of law like medical malpractice, attorneys will ask for way more than what they think the case is worth. There are some … Continue Reading
If you have ever had surgery, you know that you’ll likely have a wound scar and additional scar tissue will develop. For most people other than the visibility of it, it’s not a problem. Every now and then though it can cause excessive itching and some pain. In those cases where the surgery is from … Continue Reading
Most of the work comp lies I’ve written about involve insurance companies not telling the truth about Illinois work comp law or lazy attorneys telling clients how hard it is to go to trial (it’s not) because they don’t want to do the work needed to get the job done. The other day I heard … Continue Reading
In what may ironically be good news, if you were hoping to go to Arbitration in the next week or two at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, you might not be. That’s because Governor Pritzker has essentially fired six Arbitrators who were appointed but not confirmed by previous Governor Rauner. Elections have consequences and the … Continue Reading
The most popular Illinois work comp law question we get is, “What is my case worth?” I get it and we try to answer that question when we can. The thing to know is it’s not black and white and every case is different. So if you call us and want to know how much … Continue Reading
A woman called my office with a pretty typical sounding work injury. She had been hit in the head by a falling box and sustained a concussion and neck injury. The concussion seems better, but she has shooting pains going down her arm which is a sign of a herniated cervical disc. That can be … Continue Reading
Generally speaking, having anxiety, depression, panic, etc. is not a compensable case under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. You might have to work long hours or have a boss that screams a lot or feel pressure from unrealistic deadlines or have to do the work of many people. This can understandably lead to stress and … Continue Reading
I’ve written on this blog many times about the danger of nurse case managers in Illinois workers’ compensation cases. Bottom line is that some will try to talk to your doctor directly or schedule your appointments so they can attend. All of that is illegal. A recent caller had a similar situation that I’d never … Continue Reading
Most Illinois workers’ compensation cases involve someone getting hurt on their job and bringing a claim against the insurance company for their employer. If you type a lot and get carpal tunnel or pop your back when lifting a box, there is no other case to be made other than workers comp. In some cases … Continue Reading
There is a REALLY bad Chicago workers’ compensation law firm. They advertise a ton, assign young attorneys to many of their cases, have a lot of turnover and deliver terrible customer service. I know this because I am repeatedly told the same story by their unhappy clients. We get about 4-5 calls from their clients … Continue Reading
While Illinois work comp laws are very friendly to the worker, one of the truest things about them are that if your injury is due to the repetitive nature of your job, the insurance company is going to try and look for a way to fight your case even if it’s painfully obvious that the … Continue Reading
There are a lot of myths out there about Illinois workers’ compensation law. Most of these are started by insurance companies or employers who want to discourage you from receiving the benefits you are entitled to under Illinois work comp laws. One myth that we hear a lot is that you have to be on … Continue Reading
A lot of callers want to know if there lawyer has some sort of conflict of interest. It usually happens in small town cases. If you hire a local attorney, chances are that they are going to know your boss from around town and may have a friendship with them. That doesn’t mean that they … Continue Reading
They say that the only two sure things in life are death and taxes. Well I’m here to tell you that there is a third sure thing. If the insurance company can think of a way to cut off your benefits they will try it. This latest effort over the last few years is a … Continue Reading
I had the pleasure recently of talking to a really nice guy who appreciated my direct and blunt approach. Not everybody does. He was a smart guy who investigated a little bit after his attorney told him something that didn’t make sense. The average weekly wage they were using to calculate his benefits was too … Continue Reading
We are experienced Chicago attorneys for workers’ compensation claims. If you would like our help, fill out our contact form or call us at 312-346-5578. It’s very common that insurance companies deny all or part of your Illinois workers’ compensation benefits in bad faith . It’s also somewhat common that attorneys file a motion for … Continue Reading
Many Illinois work comp cases are denied without reason. They will say you have a pre-existing condition or that you were hurt away from the job. One of the hardest cases for an insurance company to deny is a burn injury. The reason it’s hard for them to deny these cases is that a burn … Continue Reading
Here is a fairly common scenario: You are at work and lift something. You feel a pain in your back like you’ve never felt before. You report it immediately to your supervisor and try to treat the problem with rest and pain pills. Five days later it’s not better, it’s getting worse and you go … Continue Reading
The cleanest type of Illinois workers compensation case is when you are hurt in a clearly defined job activity, it’s witnessed, you don’t have drugs in your system, you get medical treatment right away, and you follow what your doctor recommends. Not to say that type of scenario can’t result in a contested case (most … Continue Reading
Sunday night the John Oliver show had a feature on WWE wrestlers and how the company screws them over by calling them independent contractors and making them sign contracts that say they are not employees. I chuckled watching this, not just because the show was funny, but because we’ve seen many other companies try to … Continue Reading
The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) employees over 4,800 workers and while some of them are paper pushers, most are working to make sure that our bridges and roads are safe. Their work can be as simple as removing roadway debris to as serious as making repairs. Because these are often heavy labor jobs there … Continue Reading
