Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

You are entitled to all the benefits which are provided by the Illinois Worker’s Compensation Act.  This would include having all of your medical bills paid.  If you miss three or more days of work you are entitled to be paid two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you are undergoing medical treatment.  You are also entitled to benefits for any permanent partial disability or total disability that you may incur as a result of your injury.  Your attorney can best calculate and advise you in more detail as to the benefits to which you are entitled.

If you file a claim for your worker’s compensation benefits, it should not affect your job.  In all likelihood your employer has worker’s compensation insurance.  This insurance is purchased for the purpose of providing coverage to injured employees.  The Worker’s Compensation Act was passed for the purpose of protecting employees.

If an employer would retaliate against an employee for exercising his rights, the employer could be held responsible both criminally and civilly.

You should also know that you will not be dealing directly with your employer but you will deal with an insurance company who administers the Worker’s Compensation Insurance. 

No, you have the freedom to select an attorney of your choice.  Normally, an experienced local attorney should be your first choice.  You want an attorney to whom you have immediate access.  You want an attorney who you can sit down with and discuss the problems you are having.  You want to obtain your benefits as quickly as possible.  When you are at home and off work with no compensation, you are going to need your temporary benefits promptly.   Easy access to your attorney will be greatly beneficial to you.

In all likelihood, you will obtain your medical treatment locally and the most important aspect of your claim will be presenting and developing the nature and extent of your injury.  This is brought out through your medical records and your local doctor working with your local attorney can best develop this evidence.  Local attorneys know and work more frequently with local doctors than do out of town attorneys.

There is nothing wrong with it as long as you feel that it is in your best interest and if you understand how the system works.  Normally one attorney in a firm will handle all the worker’s compensation claims.  On the defense side, one attorney from a firm will represent the insurance company and he will be handling all the cases filed against the employer.  These two attorneys will be negotiating, settling, and trying all of the cases.  As a result of the relationship they can become friends and you have what is called “sweetheart” deals. 

A “sweetheart deal” occurs when the attorneys have a trade-off.  Assume two employees have the same or different injuries with the same approximate percent of disability.  Claimant’s attorney may state to the defense attorney that if you pay me 40% disability for this case, I will settle the other case for 25% disability.  This may be good for the employee who gets the higher settlement but it is unfortunate for the employee that gets the lower settlement.  When you are litigating cases, you want to get the optimum settlement for every employee.  There should be no favorites.  “Sweetheart” deals can occur when you continuously have two attorneys handling all the cases in the system.  Woe to the employee who is not a favorite.

Yes, chiropractic treatment is covered under the Worker’s Compensation Act.  The Act requires the employer to provide all “necessary first aid, medical and surgical services reasonably required to cure or relieve from the effects of the accidental injury”. 

There are many excellent chiropractors practicing in Adams County, Illinois.  A chiropractor can work just as efficiently with a local attorney as do the physicians.  Not only can they cure or relieve the effects of your injury but they are known to work closely with your local attorneys to help develop and present your case. 

An injured employee is also entitled to other types of care, such as home care, physical therapy, or even rehabilitation.  These benefits can best be explained to you by your local attorney.

You should use the same process that you would use if you wanted to see an attorney about writing a Will, defending a traffic ticket, or getting a divorce.  Would you go out of town to get an attorney for these services?

The Worker’s Compensation Act provides what an attorney may charge in handling a worker’s compensation case.  Therefore the fees of a local attorney would not be less or more than an out of town attorney.  There would be additional benefits, however, when considering expenses that you might occur.  With the assistance of your local attorney, you can probably obtain your medical records cheaper.  Doctors charge for their medical depositions and normally the charges of local doctors are cheaper than those in the more metropolitan areas.  Local court reporters are cheaper than those in metropolitan areas.  Therefore, normally local attorney working with your local doctors can provide you the support that you need with less expense.

You have the right to seek medical treatment from the doctor of your choice.  You do not have to seek medical treatment from a doctor chosen by your employer.  Your employer does have the right to have you examined by an independent medical doctor but this is normally for the purpose of determining that doctor’s opinion as to the employee’s complaints or the nature and extent of the injury.  These independent medical examiners are chosen by the employer because they know for a fee they will give favorable opinions for the insurance company.  This is another reason why it is essential that your local attorney working with your local doctors to contradict or overcome any unfavorable opinion given by an independent medical examiner.