When you are hurt on the job in Illinois, you are entitled to receive worker's compensation benefits.
The Illinois Worker's Compensation Act is a no-fault system which provides three main benefits to people who are injured on the job:
- Payment of medical expenses
- Temporary total disability payments in the amount of two-third of your average weekly wage while you are unable to work;
- A lump sum settlement for any permanency associated with the injury.
If you are not able to return to your same job, but can return to work in another field, your employer must provide you with vocational training and then pay you a wage differential if you are earning less money in your new job.
You have a right to be seen by doctors of your own choosing and by any other physicians your doctor refers you to. You do not have to rely on the company clinic to provide you with all of your medical care.
Many employees are reluctant to file a worker's compensation claim against their employer. It is illegal for your employer to fire you for making a worker's compensation claim. Your employer is required to have worker's compensation insurance, and once you are hurt on the job, the benefits are paid by your employer's insurance company. The insurance company is not looking out for your interests ? they want to minimize the amount that they pay you by limiting your access to care, denying the benefits you are due, sending you back to work before you have recovered, and then not properly compensating you for the injuryies you suffered.
Attorneys working through this web site work on a contingency fee basis - there are no fees if they do not recover a settlement for you. Fees are limited to 20% of the disputed amounts recovered. You can get experienced, aggressive legal representation throughout the state, including: Chicago, Joliet, Rockford, Rock Island, Peoria, Bloomington, Urbana, Decatur, Effingham, Marion, Alton, Carbondale, and Harrisburg.