Do I have an Illinois workers compensation case? How to file for workmans comp in Chicago. Tips if injured on the job in Illinois. Speak to an attorney for free.
I had two contacts today that are really telling. The first was a woman looking for a work injury attorney in Joliet who had herniated two discs in her back in 2007. All of her bills were paid, but she never got a settlement. The second was a reader who said the following: I was … Continue Reading
The obvious result is that you won’t get workers’ compensation benefits, but in addition, you might be hurting your future and your health. We hear from people who don’t want to file a claim because they don’t want to cause problems, because they feel pressure from their employer to not file a claim, because they’re … Continue Reading
We were recently contacted by a Chicago union laborer who had severely injured himself on the job and had permanent restrictions of no lifting more than 20 pounds. Under Illinois law, if your employer can not accommodate your physical restrictions and you are as good as you are going to get medically speaking, they should … Continue Reading
If your case is going to go to arbitration (that is how cases are decided), there are a lot of factors that are important to winning your case. Your honesty and credibility as a witness, a consistent story to your doctors, an actual on the job injury and statements of witnesses to name a few. … Continue Reading
A very common complaint among Illinois workers is that they’re swamped with work, and there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get it all done. But is the stress of the heavy workload enough to entitle you to workers’ compensation benefits to cover your physical or emotional injury caused by the … Continue Reading
We recently were asked by an injured worker, whether he had a workers’ compensation claim, even though he had a pre-existing condition. He injured his back at work installing a windshield, and had been off work since then. The x-rays showed that he has two bulging discs. Months before the recent injury, he had been treated … Continue Reading
Being injured at work doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to get benefits under Illinois workers’ compensation laws. But there are some types of injuries that usually will get you benefits. Each injury type has one thing in common: the employee was exposed to something that he or she would not necessarily have been … Continue Reading
When you’re unable to do your regular job while you’re recovering from a work injury, you can receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits for that period of time. The TTD benefits should continue, while you’re still not able to return to full work and your condition is still improving and hasn’t stabilized. During the TTD … Continue Reading
Most employees in Illinois are covered by workers’ compensation, meaning that their employers are required to have insurance that will pay employees benefits if they are injured while on the job. There are some exceptions. Independent contractors are not covered. However, employers may be too quick to label an employee an “independent contractor” in order … Continue Reading
Some employers host or organize social events for employees, such as holiday parties and summer picnics. If you are injured while attending one of these events, you probably aren’t covered under workers’ compensation law (meaning you can’t get benefits by filing a workers’ comp claim), although it depends on the situation. The key consideration in … Continue Reading
What happens when you’ve already settled your case for your work injury, but then you reinjure the same body part at work? We were asked this question from a worker who was injured eight years ago, received a settlement, and now has had a second injury. Is there a case for the new injury? The … Continue Reading
In Illinois, most employers are required by law to have workers’ compensation insurance. If they break the law, it’s a crime. There are fines, which are put into a fund to compensate workers who are injured in a job where there is no insurance. If a business owner doesn’t have any employees, they don’t need … Continue Reading
Falling out of a chair can be embarrassing, but more importantly it can cause you to suffer an injury. When it happens at work you may be entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits, depending on the circumstances. In Illinois, whether or not your chair accident is considered employment-related may, though, depend more on what was under … Continue Reading
Accidents that happen at work while performing your job duties will likely entitle you to workers’ compensation benefits for your injuries. But accidents that take place while on a break from work, may require a closer look. During the course of a typical work day, there are times that workers need to attend to personal needs … Continue Reading
Allergies are on the rise, and latex allergies are among the more common types. Exposure to latex in the workplace, particularly with the use of latex gloves, can cause an allergic reaction ranging in severity from mild break-outs to life-threatening episodes. Injuries that are the result of issues personal to the employee generally do … Continue Reading
When your job requires travel, accidents could be more likely to happen, in ways that do not always seem like they are related to your duties. So if you are injured when you are not in the office, how can you tell if your injury was connected enough to your employment to entitle you workers’ compensation … Continue Reading
It will probably happen to all of us at one time or another: that unexpected fall that seems to come out of nowhere. When such a fall happens at work and causes an injury, will you then be able to receive workers’ compensation benefits from your employer? The answer depends on the specific circumstances of your fall. For … Continue Reading
When you have had a work injury in Lake County, it’s not necessarily the case that you’ll be better represented by a Lake County lawyer. The main courthouse for Lake County is located in Waukegan, and it serves as the hub for the county’s criminal and civil litigation. However, workers’ compensation is not subject to … Continue Reading
In order to recover Illinois Workers’ Compensation benefits for a work injury, the accident needs to have occurred in the course of your employment. But frequently, employees are injured at work while doing their job in a dangerous or negligent way. What then? Does the employee’s bad conduct take away the right to benefits? Generally, … Continue Reading
If your claim has been denied because you violated a safety rule that lead to your injury, don’t give up. In many cases, safety violations that lead to injuries are still covered. A basic rule of workers’ compensation is that work-related injuries are covered regardless of fault. So if you caused the accident, it usually … Continue Reading
Where and when a heart attack occurs does not control whether or not the heart attack is work-related, for recovery under Illinois workers’ compensation law. Instead, it will have to be shown that some act or aspect of the employment was a contributing cause to bringing it on. Workers’ compensation benefits in Illinois can … Continue Reading
Only employees are entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits from their employers under Illinois law if they are injured from their employment. Independent contractors are responsible for their own insurance. But how can you determine whether or not you are an independent contractor? Even if your boss classifies you as one, it does not necessarily … Continue Reading
In general, if you are hurt during a volunteer or recreational activity, if it wasn’t mandatory then it’s not covered under Illinois workers’ compensation laws. We recently were contacted by a woman from Joliet who was injured while dancing at an office party. Sadly for her, attendance at the party wasn’t mandatory nor was the … Continue Reading
In order to get workers’ compensation, you not only have to be injured while on the job, but your injury must be related to your job. In other words, just because you were at work when the injury happened doesn’t mean you’re covered. If you are just as likely to get the injury elsewhere, then … Continue Reading
