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Restoring Dignity & Control After An Injury 

Legal Benefits of Worker’s Compensation

On Behalf of | Jul 9, 2010 | Uncategorized |

If you or a loved one is injured at work or from a job related duty, workers’ compensation could be the answer to your financial stress if you are unable to work because of the injury. In the state of Illinois, workers’ compensation is a wage replacement system designed to pay the injured worker both medical benefits and lost wages during his or her period of incapacity from work. The wage replacement system also entitles the injured worker to legal benefits from their claim. If you do file for compensation with your employer, you give up the rights to sue. Here are some of the legal benefits you are entitled to.

Unfortunately, some injuries may can temporary or permanent disabilities which can make you unable to work. This can cause a lot of personal and financial stress especially if you have bills and a home mortgage to pay every month. Worker’s compensation, also called workman’s comp, legally entitles to you receive the wages you are losing from being out of work. Temporary disability benefits allow an injured employee to collect up to two thirds of their lost wages.

There are also permanent partial disability benefits that you can collect even after you return to work from an injury. The amount that can be collected from your employer depends on the severity of the injury, what occurred, and what part of your body was injured. Some injuries may be so severe that you may not be able to return to work. In the event of this occurring, you may be entitled to permanent total disability benefits. The injured employee could be entitled to weekly benefits for life. There is a limit on how much one can collect.

Another benefit that is similar to permanent total disability is the social security disability. If you are injured and unable to work for a year or longer, consecutive months, you can collect social security disabilities in addition to worker’s compensation.

If you are injured whether it happens at work or not you should always seek medical treatment. If your injury is work related then you are entitled to have your treatment paid for by your employer. You can go to a doctor of your choice, not one that your employer decides on. If your injury makes you unable to return to work at your original position, you are entitled to vocational rehabilitation. The employer has to offer training for you to work at a different position within the same company or gain skills for employment.

If you are eligible to receive Illinois worker’s compensation, you can contact a Chicago workers compensation lawyer to help you file your claim. You may want to contact the attorney to ensure that you receive the benefits you are entitled to. A work related injury can cause a lot of stress especially if there are difficult or confusing forms to fill out. Hiring a lawyer can help alleviate some of the stress and maximize the benefits you can receive.

About the Author: Brooke Haley marketing associate at Millon & Peskin, Chicago workers compensation lawyer that practice in the areas of Civil Litigation, Workers’ Compensation, and Personal Injury. Millon & Peskin is a General Civil Litigation Practice with the goal of representing the interests of injured workers, throughout all applicable Courts within the State of Illinois. For more information, please visit http://www.millonpeskin.com.

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