Work Injuries are Dangerous

Hurt at work?  Your employer is going to take care of things, right?

That clinic they send you to will do the right tests?  They’ll get you the right treatments, right?

What about paying the bills while you can’t work?

If the doctor wants you to rest, or if you’re too injured to be able to do your job, you need money to pay your bills.  The Bank will not just put your mortgage payments on hold.  The electric company isn’t going to just wait a few months for you to pay, are they?

The reality is that the Work Comp insurance system is not there to protect you.  A recent Reportfrom the United States Department of Labor stated it very starkly: “Working people are at great risk of falling into poverty,” due to recent changes in Work Comp laws in the States.  Work Comp insurance is there to administer claims, but their responsibility is to the Employer, not the worker.  They make money for their shareholders by taking in more insurance premium dollars than they pay out for medical bills and lost wages.  NPR summarized some of the highlights of the report: that laws are changing around the country to make it harder to get the medical and financial help that you need to get healthy and to not fall behind financially.

The ProPublica/NPR stories featured injured workers who lost their homes, were denied surgeries or were even denied prosthetic devices recommended by their doctors.

–Howard Berkes, NPR, October 5, 2016

We like to say that the benefits you are entitled to under the law are: (1) medical expenses paid; and (2) temporary payments while you cannot work.  If the insurer is fighting those payments, you will find yourself falling behind.  It is wrong.  And unfair.  But the changes in the law and the procedures for the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission make it more important than ever for you to consult with an attorney who can guide you through a challenging and difficult process.  You have enough to worry about with your doctor’s visits and therapy.  We will be your advocate, your guide, and your legal representatives.

Work injuries are dangerous.  First, you get hurt.  Then, the system makes it more difficult than it should be for you to recover, get back on your feet, and not get in financial trouble while you get there.

Hurt at work?  Your employer is going to take care of things, right?

That clinic they send you to will do the right tests?  They’ll get you the right treatments, right?

What about paying the bills while you can’t work?

If the doctor wants you to rest, or if you’re too injured to be able to do your job, you need money to pay your bills.  The Bank will not just put your mortgage payments on hold.  The electric company isn’t going to just wait a few months for you to pay, are they?

The reality is that the Work Comp insurance system is not there to protect you.  A recent Reportfrom the United States Department of Labor stated it very starkly: “Working people are at great risk of falling into poverty,” due to recent changes in Work Comp laws in the States.  Work Comp insurance is there to administer claims, but their responsibility is to the Employer, not the worker.  They make money for their shareholders by taking in more insurance premium dollars than they pay out for medical bills and lost wages.  NPR summarized some of the highlights of the report: that laws are changing around the country to make it harder to get the medical and financial help that you need to get healthy and to not fall behind financially.

The ProPublica/NPR stories featured injured workers who lost their homes, were denied surgeries or were even denied prosthetic devices recommended by their doctors.

–Howard Berkes, NPR, October 5, 2016

We like to say that the benefits you are entitled to under the law are: (1) medical expenses paid; and (2) temporary payments while you cannot work.  If the insurer is fighting those payments, you will find yourself falling behind.  It is wrong.  And unfair.  But the changes in the law and the procedures for the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission make it more important than ever for you to consult with an attorney who can guide you through a challenging and difficult process.  You have enough to worry about with your doctor’s visits and therapy.  We will be your advocate, your guide, and your legal representatives.

Work injuries are dangerous.  First, you get hurt.  Then, the system makes it more difficult than it should be for you to recover, get back on your feet, and not get in financial trouble while you get there.