What Is Workers’ Compensation, and How Can You Request It?

 Posted on January 31, 2018 in Workers' Compensation

If you experience an accident while on the job, you may qualify for benefits that will assist you while you are out of work. Most full-time and part-time employees are eligible for workers’ compensation, and these benefits can be paid regardless of who was at fault.

What is Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation consists of benefits provided to employees who have either been injured or have fallen ill on the job, as long as the injuries or illnesses occur while the employee was working or were caused by the job they are performing. Aggravations of pre-existing conditions, injuries caused by repetitive use of specific parts of the body, heart attacks, strokes, and other physical issues that occur while working qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.

How to Request Workers’ Compensation

If an employee has been injured or becomes ill on the job, he or she should seek medical treatment immediately. The employer must, by law, pay for all medical services needed to relieve or cure the of injury or illness, as well as all physical or mental rehabilitation, if required.

Following an injury or illness, it is very important for an employee to notify their employer within 45 days. This notice can be given either verbally or in writing, and it should include the employee’s name, mailing address, phone number, Social Security number, and a description of the injury or illness.

Employers must report accidents that result in more than three lost days of work to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC). The employee may be entitled to weekly payments and reimbursement for the costs of medical care while they are recovering from their injury or illness, and if an employer denies these benefits to an employee, the employee can file a claim with the IWCC.

Employees must file a workers’ compensation within three years of their injury or illness, or within two years after they last received a workers’ compensation payment. Employees may also reopen their case within 30 months after receiving a workers’ comp award if their disability worsens.

Call a Kane County Workers’ Comp Lawyer

When you are injured on the job, you deserve to receive benefits that will meet your financial needs as you make a recovery. When filing a workers’ comp claim, the assistance of a skilled attorney is invaluable. The lawyers of Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur P.C. have over 50 years of experience representing clients injured in workplace accidents, and we can help you receive the benefits you deserve. Contact our Aurora, IL workers’ compensation attorneys at 630-907-0909 to schedule a free initial consultation.

Sources:

https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/Documents/icpnform.pdf