Illinois Work Comp- Friday Tip

Friday is a good day to reflect and sum up the week.

One tip to help and protect your Illinois Workers’ Compensation case is to report all your injuries as soon as possible.

This means putting in writing for your work all injuries that happened as a result of your accident.

Use your employer’s accident reports or incident forms if available.

If not, write down when your accident happened, how it happened, and what body parts were injured.

Make sure to date the report.

Make a copy for yourself.

Give the original to your supervisor or your human resources people.

You should also tell the doctor the same information, and if possible give them a copy of the report.

For instance, “On June 5, 2015 I fell on the steps at work while carrying boxes and injured my right ankle and hurt my neck.”

This will prevent the insurance company from trying to argue that you only hurt your ankle at work and not your neck. Or that you really got hurt working in your yard.

A little prevention will save you loads of trouble down the road.

Did you know that you can hire an experienced Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyer and you willing only have to pay them if they recover a settlement for you?

Make sure to contact Illinois Work Comp Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371 for a free consultation.

Scores of labs may have received live anthrax samples from Army facility – LA Times

An Army bio-defense facility in Utah may have mistakenly sent live anthrax samples to 51 commercial companies, academic institutions and federal labs without proper safeguards, more than double the total disclosed last week, a widening Pentagon investigation has found.

Source: Scores of labs may have received live anthrax samples from Army facility – LA Times

 

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Brings up an interesting point. In Illinois someone exposed to chemicals or fumes can file an occupational disease case and obtain benefits pursuant to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Diseases Act.

2015 – 05/21/2015 – Workers continue to be exposed to amputation, other hazards at Lebanon Seaboard Corporation in Danville, Illinois

Source: 2015 – 05/21/2015 – Workers continue to be exposed to amputation, other hazards at Lebanon Seaboard Corporation in Danville, Illinois

 

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Danville, Illinois fertilizer plant has some dangers that need to be worked on. Make sure that your workplace is OSHA compliant. Any work injuries should be reported immediately and make sure that you keep copies of accident reports to prove the accident.

Illinois Work Comp and Independent Medical Exams

Illinois Workers’ Compensation law allows an insurance company to schedule as many independent medical exams for injured workers as it wants to.

An independent medical exam or IME involves a doctor the insurance company hires to examine an injured worker.

The purpose of the exam is not for treatment. It is to provide an opinion for the insurance company’s case.

This will be used against you in a trial or to deny benefits if the doctor’s opinion is that your condition is not related to the work accident or that you do not need anymore treatment or that you are able to return to work.

If this happens to you, then you do not have to give up on your case.

You should see an experienced Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney right away if this happens to you.

It does not cost you anything to hire an Illinois Work Comp lawyer. The law provides that all attorney fees are contingent upon winning your cases. This means that you do not have to pay a fee until you receive money from the insurance company. All fees are limited to 20 percent of the total award or settlement.

Do not the insurance company keep you from the money you are entitled to. Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

Senate panel votes down Rauner’s work-comp plan | Belleville News-Democrat Belleville News-Democrat

One of the pillars of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “turnaround agenda” for improving Illinois’ business climate fell Wednesday in a state Senate committee.

Source: Senate panel votes down Rauner’s work-comp plan | Belleville News-Democrat Belleville News-Democrat

 

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This bill was voted down in an Illinois Senate Committee. However, nothing is ever dead in Illinois politics. Similar Workers’ Compensation changes may surface in combination with the budget negotiations. The Governor has continued to tie any budget agreements with Workers’ Compensation changes and business related issues.