What is my Illinois workers compensation case worth? What should I get for my workmans comp claim. TTD payments Chicago, wage differential, permanent disability law Illinois.
One of the most common and broad questions we get is something like, “I was hurt at work, what are my rights?” The simple and generic answer is, you have a right to medical care and compensation for your time off work. That’s a pretty simple explanation. It answers the question, but not really. Take … Continue Reading
Under Illinois workers’ compensation law, lawyer fees are set by state law and through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. In general, if you ask any lawyer what they charge, the answer will be 20%. A recent case of ours that is on the verge of being complete is going to settle for $300,000.00. If we … Continue Reading
Every month or so I get the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law Bulletin. This is a must have publication for any Illinois work comp attorney. It provides an update on the law as well as noteworthy cases decided at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. In one of the recent publications it highlighted two cases where injured … Continue Reading
Here’s an unusual occurrence. Insurance companies that handle Illinois workers’ compensation claims are doing something that makes some cases worth more money. That’s right, they are putting more money in your pocket. In the last few years a trend has developed. Office space, especially in Chicago, is really expensive. Since most claims are handled electronically, … Continue Reading
We have a live chat feature on our site and a recent chatter stunned me. She was injured at work and her case was accepted. When she hired a lawyer she was receiving TTD benefits and those benefits never stopped. The lawyer took on the case and started taking 20% of the TTD checks. When … Continue Reading
In every Illinois workers’ compensation case, when you are all better and back to work, you want a settlement. Getting an offer is exciting, but the lure of money in your pocket can often lead to mistakes. If you get a settlement offer, these are things you shouldn’t do in most cases. 1. Don’t say … Continue Reading
I’ve written a lot about Illinois work comp lies. I haven’t done it in a while because I haven’t heard a new one. Most are the same ones over and over. Stuff like: lying what the case is worth; saying that these cases always take years; telling you that you will get nothing at trial. … Continue Reading
This is the third in a three part series of advice for injured workers. The first post discussed what you need to know immediately after you are hurt on the job in Illinois. The second post offered a bunch of warnings and tips for how to handle the middle of a case. This last post … Continue Reading
Recently a train conductor was awarded $1.6 million for back and shoulder injuries after he hurt while on the way to work in a company van. He was a passenger in the vehicle which was struck by a car. While he did get the $100,000.00 insurance policy from the other driver, the $1.6 million was … Continue Reading
There are many things that are true across all Illinois workers’ compensation claims. The truest is probably that the insurance company will do whatever they can to limit the amount of money they pay on a case. Sometimes their strategy is just to deny a case for no reason and see how you respond. Other … Continue Reading
The number one question any Illinois workers’ compensation lawyer gets is, “What is my case worth?” Recently I had a caller who wanted to know what his back injury was worth. He had a lot of opinions on what it should be worth based on what a friend had gotten on a case a couple … Continue Reading
Not in every Illinois work comp case, but in many of them, insurance companies deny benefits for no reason or in really bad faith and it’s obvious. When that happens, your lawyer should file a petition for penalties and fees which can punish them for their bad behavior. For some reason, these petitions get filed … Continue Reading
I had an injured worker recently call me after he hurt his back at work. The issue was that he had smoked pot over the weekend before the accident and failed a drug test after the accident. The work comp insurance adjuster told him that he was ineligible for benefits because of the failed test … Continue Reading
One of the problems injured workers have when they are hurt on the job in Illinois is that they usually have no idea what their case is worth and have no experience with the formula used to calculate what cases are worth. That’s OK as you shouldn’t be expected to know that. The problem comes … Continue Reading
A couple of years ago a potential client called me with a major injury case. It was in central Illinois and you don’t want a Chicago attorney for a downstate case, so I referred him to a great workers comp attorney out of Decatur to handle the matter. This is exactly why we have created … Continue Reading
We write all of the time about the gross and often illegal ways that insurance companies try to deny Illinois workers’ compensation claims. Every now and then though we get calls from employees who tell us what their company is doing that also breaks the law. The most recent one I heard of was from … Continue Reading
A functional capacity evaluation or FCE is an often day long process where an occupational therapist puts you through a series of tests to determine what your work capabilities are and if you need any physical restrictions. So if you ever hear about someone having permanent restrictions of no lifting more than 20 pounds (or … Continue Reading
A recent caller had a story that I hear all to often. She had hurt her back at work in Chicago and reported the injury right away. She went to the doctor and talked to the work comp insurance adjuster who told her, without any good reason, that her case was going to be denied. … Continue Reading
One of the most unfair things about the law that you can’t do anything about is the bad luck of the draw. If you are sitting at a stop light and get rear-ended by a person with $20,000 in insurance and become paralyzed, you are likely only going to recover that $20,000. On the other … Continue Reading
There is an infamous doctor in the Chicago area who does not believe that most job duties, including typing, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. If a client calls me who is a secretary or in another job that types all day and I know that they are being sent to this doctor by an insurance … 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
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
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
One of the most common and broad questions we get is something like, “I was hurt at work, what are my rights?” The simple and generic answer is, you have a right to medical care and compensation for your time off work. That’s a pretty simple explanation. It answers the question, but not really. Take … Continue Reading
