Workers’ Compensation FAQ

First, report your accident to your supervisor.  Seek medical attention, if necessary, as soon as possible.  Medical providers who treat you for a work injury should bill the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier, not your primary insurance.

Feel free to call our office for a consultation.  There are several advantages to hiring our office early in the process of your case.  One, we can advise you earlier and guide you through the legal process.  Two, we can make sure the insurance company does not take advantage of you by having you sign documents which are unnecessary.  Three, we can prevent problems before they arise.  Four, we make sure you obtain all benefits you are entitled to from the outset. Since our fees are only paid at the conclusion of your case and depend on the amount of your recovery, there is no extra charge to the client as we guide you through the legal process.

Call our office first.  The insurance company is calling you to obtain information -information they will use to deny your claim or to minimize how much they pay on the claim.  Despite what they tell you, the insurance company does not look out for your best interest.  In fact, the opposite is true.  The insurance company is your adversary and their interest is to pay you as little as possible.

Insurance companies have some legal rights to obtain basic information about an accident or injury and to obtain medical documentation of that injury.  However, those rights have limits.  They are not allowed to obtain certain confidential medical information.  As part of our representation, our firm will deal with the insurance company and protect your rights.

An insurance company often refuses to pay for medical bills, or stalls on paying medical bills, without any reasonable basis.  One reason they often do so is that they know a person without a lawyer does not have the legal expertise to go to Court and enforce their rights.  We will fight the insurance company to make sure medical bills, as well as all other benefits, are paid in a timely fashion.

You are entitled to lost time pay (temporary total disability) if you are unable to work as a result of the injury. It is critical that you obtain a note from your treating doctor stating that you are unable to work and the dates of disability. The slip may allow a return to “light duty”. In either case make a copy of the slip and present the original to your employer. If the employer or insurance company refuses to pay the law allows a request for an immediate hearing upon 15 days notice.

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act prevents “balance billing” for injured workers who have a pending case filed with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Once our office files a case on your behalf  you can advise the doctor and all collection efforts must stop. The doctor’s office is entitled to regular updates on the status of your case.

If you’ve been injured on the job,  there is a great likelihood that an insurance company is involved.  Occasionally the employer will hire a “third-party administrator” to make payments on the claims. Either way, and adjustor or “claims representative” will be deciding what bills get paid and often which doctors you will see. They are trained in the requirements of theInsurance companies are in the business of making money and paying as little as possible on claims.  An attorney levels the playing field, advises you, advocates on your behalf, and makes sure your legal rights are protected.