Illinois Work Comp Lawyer

How is the Workers’ Compensation Settlement Determined?

Dirk May Help, Illinois, Illinois Work Comp Attorney, Illinois Work Comp Lawyer, Workers Compensation ,

Injured workers in Illinois are entitled to 3 rights.

  1. Payment of medical bills for related treatment.
  2. 66 percent of your average weekly wage for the time your doctor has you off work.
  3. 60 percent of your average weekly wage for the value of your permanent partial disability, this is often referred to as the settlement.

There is no pain and suffering damages for workers’ compensation in Illinois.

There is no schedule of benefits for certain types of injuries; some states mandate payment of a certain amount of money for a broken leg, for instance. Illinois does not do this.

An example is that a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, without surgery, may be worth 10 percent of a person.

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act says your back is worth a total of 500 weeks. 10 percent equals 50 weeks.

Assume a person earned $500.00 a week for the 52 weeks before they were injured. 60 percent of $500 equals $300.

50 weeks times $300 equals $15,000.

As you can see the value of your settlement will vary dramatically based on your wage.

There is also a minimum and maximum rate used in calculating your permanency rate.

Questions about your Work Comp injury? Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

 

What to do in Case of Work Injury

Dirk May Help, Illinois, Illinois Work Comp Attorney, Illinois Work Comp Lawyer, Insurance, Law, Lawyers, Settlements, Workers Compensation, Workers Compensation Commission ,

Keep this list in your wallet so that you have it ready for yourself or a co-worker or friend in case of injury.

    1. Go to the doctor immediately.
    2.  Complete an accident report as soon as possible. Keep a copy for yourself.
    3. Tell your supervisor about the accident.
    4. Tell the doctor about every body part that you injured.
    5. Tell the doctor how you were injured at work.

Following these simple steps will strengthen your work injury case and keep the insurance company from denying your benefits.

If the Workers’ Compensation insurance company wants to take a statement from you regarding the accident, call a Work Comp lawyer right away. The insurance company can use any statement you make against your interest.

Questions about your work injury case? Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

Make Sure You Do This to Help Your Work Injury Case

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The biggest problem that will sink a Workers’ Compensation claim is the lack of documentation at the time of the injury.

This means things like medical reports that do not include information on the work injury, such as how it happened and what body parts were injured.

Medical reports that say “no known cause of injury” will destroy your case.

The medical reports should record “fell at work and injured his knee and back” to help your case.

Go to the doctor right away.

Waiting to go to the doctor will kill your case.

The other problem is no accident or injury report completed at the time of injury.

Make an accident report immediately.

Be sure that you keep a copy of the report so it does not mysteriously disappear when you need it.

Keep track of the names and contact information of any witnesses to your work accident.

Trials usually do not happen until several years after your injury so witnesses may disappear.

Following these tips will take away many of the defenses Workers’ Compensation insurance companies use to defeat work injury claims.

The Arbitrator assumes that if you were injured on the job there will be a paper trial proving how the accident happened and what body parts you injured.

Make it easy on yourself and the Arbitrator to rule in your favor.

Questions about your work injury? Feel free to contact Illinois Work Injury Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

Springfield Clinic’s new pain specialist tries non-pill methods

Dirk May Help, Illinois, Illinois Social Security Disability Attorney, Illinois Social Security Disability Lawyer, Illinois Work Comp Attorney, Illinois Work Comp Lawyer, In the news, Social Security Disability ,

A new doctor at Springfield Clinic hopes his expertise can help patients avoid becoming statistics in the nationwide epidemic of prescription painkiller

Source: Springfield Clinic’s new pain specialist tries non-pill methods

 

Click above to read.

Chronic pain is often a big part of Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability cases. It is certainly worth trying new approaches to break the cycle of pain and improve functioning.

Another Tip for Work Injuries

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Arbitrators in Illinois Workers’ Compensation cases rely heavily on what is called the “history of accident” found in medical records.

The Arbitrator is the Judge who makes the decision in your case.

If the Arbitrator does not find the proper history of accident or injury in the records she may deny your case and you will receive no money for your claim.

The basis for relying on the history of accident in the medical records is that what you tell the doctor or hospital workers at the time of your work injury will be the closest to the truth because it happened at or near the time of the accident versus something you tell the Arbitrator or someone else months or several years later.

For instance, if there is nothing in the medical records regarding your work accident then you most likely lose your case.

If the history of accident in the medical records is dramatically different from your testimony at trial, or if the description of the accident changes over time then you will most likely lose your case.

Make sure that on your first hospital or doctor visit that you tell each person your injury happened at work, how it happened and what body parts were injured.

Write down this information and take it with you to each medical visit.

This will make your Workers’ Compensation case strong when the insurance company tries to deny your claim.

Questions about your work injury case? Make sure to call Illinois Work Comp Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.