Workers’ compensation benefits provide coverage for medical expenses and lost wages while you recover or provide income if you can never work again. If you were hurt on the job or lost a loved one in a workplace accident or to an occupational illness, you may be entitled to coverage for your medical bills, lost wages, and death benefits.
Seeking workers’ compensation benefits can be challenging. An Oak Lawn workers’ compensation lawyer can help you file a claim, meet important deadlines, and represent you in any legal proceedings.
Illinois Workers’ Compensation Laws Protect Workers
According to the fiscal year 2020 annual report from the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, roughly 200,000 workplace-related accidents take place in the state every year. Many of these incidents cause minor injuries that do not keep the employee out of work, but others cause serious injury and even death.
820 ILCS 305, also known as the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, protects employees in Illinois from the financial fallout of work-related injuries or illnesses. It gives workers the right to obtain financial compensation for accidental injuries they sustain while working or diseases they develop because of their occupation. In most situations, employees who accept workers’ compensation benefits cannot sue their employers.
This law requires most employers in Illinois to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Employers who should carry this insurance but fail to do so must pay a penalty fee.
Who Can File a Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Almost any employee who is injured on the job or develops a disease because of their job can file a claim. In cases of accidental injuries, workers’ compensation insurance covers employees even when they are at fault for the accident.
What Types of Benefits Does Workers’ Compensation Provide?
Workers’ compensation provides many benefits to sick or injured employees. According to the Workers’ Compensation Handbook from the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, here are some of the benefits available:
- Medical care to treat the injury including emergency treatment, doctor’s appointments, hospital stays, rehabilitative therapies, prescription medications, chiropractic treatment, and more
- Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits generally provide 2/3 of the employee’s average weekly wage while the employee is out of work recovering
- Temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits generally provide 2/3 of the difference between the average amount the employee normally earned and the gross amount he earns in a light-duty job if the employee can work on light duty for lower wages while recovering
- Permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits if the employee can still work but suffers from permanent disfigurement or disability, including complete or partial loss of a body part, the use of a body part, or partial loss of the whole body
- Permanent total disability (PTD) benefits provide 2/3 of the employee’s average weekly wage for life if the employee is unable to return to work because of disabilities, including the complete loss of use of both hands, both arms, both feet, both legs, both eyes, any two such parts, or a disability that prevents the worker from gaining employment
- Death benefits for surviving family members provide $8,000 for burial expenses and 2/3 of the employee’s average weekly wages to the surviving spouse and children under age 18
- Vocational rehabilitation and maintenance benefits for injured employees who participate in an approved vocational rehabilitation program
How a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Can Help You
A workers’ compensation lawyer in Oak Lawn can help sick or injured employees with every aspect of their cases. Seeking workers’ compensation benefits can be confusing and overwhelming. You have the right to navigate the process with the assistance of a lawyer so you can focus on your physical recovery.
Here are some of the ways a lawyer can help you:
Help You Meet Important Deadlines
As an employee, you must notify your employer about your injury:
- Within 45 days of the injury, if it was caused by an accident
- Within 90 days, if you were exposed to an excessive dose of radiation
- As soon as practicable, if you are diagnosed with an occupational illness
If you file a claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, you must file it within three years of an injury, death, or disablement or two years after the last TTD payment or medical bill, whichever is later. Your lawyer can help you meet workers’ comp deadlines so that you do not forfeit your right to compensation.
Gather Evidence Relating to Your Case
Your lawyer will gather evidence showing that your injury or illness arose out of your employment and that you were employed and entitled to workers’ compensation benefits at the time of the injury. They will also collect evidence showing the extent of the injury and the degree of disability it has caused you.
Advocate for Your Rights
Employers may try to avoid paying your claim by disputing the cause of your injury or illness or your average weekly wage at the time of the injury. The insurance provider may dispute the extent of your disability or try to end your benefits before you are recovered. Your lawyer will fight back against these parties and advocate for your rights.
Negotiate a Settlement
Your lawyer will negotiate a settlement that fairly compensates you for your injury or illness.
Our Case Results for Workers’ Compensation Cases
Our team has a strong record when it comes to representing employees in workers’ compensation cases. Over the years, we have recovered millions of dollars for our clients who have been injured on the job. Here are a few of the workers’ compensation cases we have successfully settled:
- $7.5 million settlement for a construction worker who was injured by a support wall that fell and struck him
- $3.2 million settlement for a construction worker who fell in an uncovered foundation trench
- $1.4 million settlement for a worker who was injured by carbon monoxide exposure
An Oak Lawn Workers’ Comp Can Advocate for Your Rights
If you were injured on the job, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits covering your medical expenses, lost wages, and more. An Oak Lawn workers’ compensation lawyer with The Kryder Law Group, LLC can advocate for your rights in a workers’ compensation case.
Call our office today for a free, no-obligation case consultation. Because we work on contingency, we collect no fees unless we win your case.
(312) 223-1700