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.
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
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
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
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
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
A reader of my blog was getting toward the end of his treatment. The insurance company tried to low ball settle with him and he refused. Then the insurance company told him, because he has permanent restrictions that can’t be accommodated by his old employer, that they wanted him to do vocational rehabilitation. Briefly, under … Continue Reading
When you are hurt on the job in Illinois and hire an attorney, every lawyer uses the same attorney representation agreement. Here is what it looks like. Under Illinois law, attorney fees can not exceed 20% of what is recovered and for almost every case that means 20% of the eventual settlement they get you … Continue Reading
A caller to my office had a really good question about a very frustrating scenario he was in. He is an industrial painter and does a lot of overhead lifting and work in general. One day, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder while bringing down some items from a scaffold. This was witnessed, … 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
