The Workers’ Compensation Statute protects every employee in the State of Illinois. The statute provides for benefits that compensate injured employees for medical treatment and medical bills incurred, lost time from work, and any permanent disability. But these benefits may not be automatic. You may need to fight to enforce your right to workers’ compensation benefits. In the event of a dispute, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) enforces the state’s worker’s compensation laws and protects worker rights.

Under Illinois law, you may be eligible for the following benefits:

Medical benefits
Your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier is responsible for paying for the medical services reasonably required to cure your injuries. Medical benefits often have no deductible and are unlimited. Payments are made until the injured individual is provided with the maximum amount of relief or is cured completely. The medical bills are sent to the workers’ compensation carrier. In Illinois, employees can use a doctor from their employer’s Preferred Provider Program (PPP), or they may choose one other doctor. If their employer does not have a PPP, they may choose up to two doctors.

Disability benefits
There are all different types of disability, but in workers comp, disabilities are classified in two different ways:

1) Is the injury temporary or permanent? and
2) Is the injury total or partial?

Combining these options, an injured employee can have four different types of disability benefits:

– Temporary total disability (TTD)
– Temporary partial disability (TPD)
– Permanent total disability (PTD)
– Permanent partial disability (PPD)

Death benefits
If an employee passes away because of a work-related injury, death benefits are paid to the employee’s dependents. In Illinois, these benefits are two-thirds of the employee’s average weekly wage, paid until the death of a surviving spouse (maximum of 25 years) or until dependent children reach the age of 18, whichever comes later. Funeral and burial costs up to $8,000 are also covered by death benefits in Illinois.

Finding an experienced work accident attorney is crucial when trying to seek compensation so that you can make sure that your rights are fully protected. Call us at (312) 726-5567 for a free consultation or contact us online. We will review your injuries, the circumstances of the workplace accident and your viable legal options. We have handled well over 30,000 claims for injured workers throughout the state of Illinois.