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The Most Common Mistake of Injured Workers

I have a suspicion about the most common mistake people make after they have Illinois work injuries:  They don’t even get one single free consultation with an attorney. That’s right.  The reason I cannot prove it is because I believe these people never call me.  The...

Are You a Loaned and Borrowed Employee?

The Illinois Worker’s Compensation Act provides, under section 1(a)4, that employers may borrow or loan employees.  Most of the companies that engage in this practice operate as staffing companies, or temp services.  Some are labor companies, where employees are...

Wage Differential Benefits

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides some flexibility in terms of the benefits available to compensate an employee for her/his permanent disability.  One of these options is referred to as wage differential benefits.  An injured worker qualifies for these...

Occupational Clinics: Gatekeepers for Insurance Companies

In many fields of work, if you are injured on the job, your employer will send you to their occupational clinic.  Often times, the occupational clinic does not have your best interests in mind.  For example, here is a scenario:  You work in construction, mostly at job...

“Mental-Mental” Injuries

Under certain circumstances, an injured worker can obtain Illinois workers’ compensation benefits for purely psychological injuries.  These “mental-mental” cases occur when an injured worker sustains psychological injuries as a result of non-physical work-related...

Illinois House Bill 1278

This bill has been recently amended. In essence, the amendments seek to hold the insurance industry’s feet to the fire with regard to excess profits not being passed on to policyholders. A synopsis of this bill’s latest amendment follows: Amends the Illinois...

How long can it take for my case to be decided?

The length of time that it can take for an Illinois workers’ compensation claim to be resolved can vary greatly, and depends on many factors. In many cases, patience and time is required in order for the injured worker to obtain the maximum value for his or her...

Commitment to Worker Safety

In a recent post, Dr. David Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and Joseph A. Main, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, commented on their commitment to worker safety.  About a year ago, a tower...

Workers and Wage Rights

On April 17, 2015, Dr. David Weil, the administrator of the Wage and Hour Division for the U.S. Department of Labor, commented how workers across America are denied wages that they earned and are legally entitled to. He used the example of Irma and José, and their 63...

Most Injured Workers Need a Lawyer

Twenty-seven years ago, in 1988, Illinois Governor James Thompson commissioned a study of the workers’ compensation system. Most significantly, the study concluded that an injured worker would be greatly handicapped by attempting to deal with the system without an...

Things an Injured Worker Should NEVER Do

Today, I would like to point out a few things that an injured worker should never do: 1.)  You should never allow the workers’ compensation insurance carrier to record a statement over the phone. Statements are taken for the insurance company in order to try to obtain...

Illinois Workers’ Compensation Basic Information

The Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission website is at IWCC.IL.gov. On the website, you will find in a menu, down the left side, that there is a handbook on Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Diseases. It’s in three different languages: English, Spanish and...

ITLA: Governor should sign SB2221

The following letter to the editor by ITLA President John D. Cooney was published in The Madison County Record on December 12, 2014, in response to this letter. December 12, 2014 Dear Editor: Asbestos is the quintessential example of corporations knowing that they...
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