It has been about 16 months since major changes to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act have taken place.
The full effect of the new law are not clear.
It may take another year or two to see the results of the reform legislation.
This much is evident.
The arbitrators are more conservative in response to the high visibility of Work Comp in Illinois.
It is more difficult to prove that you were injured on the job.
It is more difficult to prove that your case is of high value.
The commissioners are more conservative.
No one wants to stick there head up and look out of step, and be accused of damaging the business climate in Illinois.
The changes in assigning arbitrators and reducing the number of hearing sites has resulted in cases taking longer and it is harder to get a case to trial.
The uncertainty in the value of new cases has delayed matters also.
Some insurance companies want to send the cases out for more doctors evaluations and more depositions have resulted.
Uncertainty always slows the process, and the slower paces of trials means that the actual value of the cases decided by arbitrators and commissioners is at a trickle.
The future is cloudy, but this much we know the value of Illinois Workers’ Compensation cases are going down. We just do not know how far they will drop.
Questions about your Work Comp case? Feel free to contact Illinois Work Comp Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.