General

In Illinois, you have three basic rights when you are injured on the job.

1. You are entitled to have your medical bills paid. If your group health insurance has paid some medical bills you have the right to have Workers Comp repay your insurance company. The medical providers must also wait to collect their money until your case is resolved.

2. You are entitled to Workers Comp pay if you are off work due to your injury. Sometimes the only way to enforce this right is to go trial. I will represent you in a trial if the insurance company refuses to pay you.

3. You are entitled to fair compensation once you recover from your injury. Workers Comp is based on 60% of your average weekly wage times a number of weeks either determined by an Arbitrator(judge) or negotiated by the parties.

Social Security has disability statistics for 2006 available. It shows 2,590 people on disability in Champaign county, 2440 in McLean County, 4,055 in Peoria County and 4,645 in Sangamon County.

You do not have to leave your house to come to my office to discuss your Social Security disability case. I will be glad to meet with you in your home or at the public library or any where you desire. I understand that it is often inconvenient, painful or impossible for a disabled client to come to a lawyer’s office. I make it simple and easy for you. I will bring the paper work to your house and explain everything to you. I will keep you informed throughout the long process and even take you to the hearing if you need a ride.

Please feel free to call me, Dirk, at 309-827-4371. I am a lawyer for Social Security disability clients throughout Central Illinois including Bloomington, Peoria, Champaign and Springfield.

Enough with the depressing Social Security disability case backlog news stories.

One of my favorite stories about giving a Social Security client a ride to a hearing happened this past winter. We made it to the hearing and it was snowing like crazy and was supposed to keep snowing all day. I had an early hearing and then one after lunch with my client. The judge felt sorry for us and moved us up so we could get out of there.

The roads were very icy and snow packed. On the way back the traffic was going about 45 mph on the interstate. The car in front of us spins out and I put on the brakes and lose control. Miraculously, neither of us hits anyone else and no one hits us but I run into the guardrail. I look over at my client and he is in the back seat. I started laughing and asked him how he ended up there. He looks at me and says “I don’t know I just jumped from the front seat into the back”. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The American Association of People with Disabilities has recently released a report listing 2006 Social Security Disability case loads by State. The good news is that Illinois ranked 25th in delays. The bad news is that means 24,278 cases are pending out of 231,633 total beneficiaries in Illinois. News reports show that nationwide the number of disability claims grew 62% between 2000 and 2004, but Social Security’s staff was 30% smaller in 2002 than in 1982.

Closer to home the Peoria, Illinois Social Security Hearing Office has from 5,000 to 7,000 cases pending at hearing stage. The numbers are staggering but I still encourage people to contact their federal legislators to discuss their Social Security Disability case and speeding up the process.

Feel free to call Dirk at 309-827-4371 to discuss your Central Illinois Social Security Disability case.