When your Illinois workers' compensation case is finally ready to settle, you may be picturing a single lump sum that closes the book on your injury. For many injured workers, that is exactly how it works. But if you are already enrolled in Medicare, or you are likely...
You settled your workers’ compensation case, or an arbitrator issued an award, and you tried to move on. Months later, the pain returns, the surgery you hoped you would never need is now on the table, and the disability you were compensated for has clearly...
If your work injury has left you with permanent restrictions and your doctor has told you that you cannot return to the job you held before you were hurt, you are likely facing a frightening question: how will you support yourself and your family now? Illinois law...
By Mitchell M. Peskin, Attorney | Updated October 2026 If you were hurt on the job because another driver ran a red light, because a contractor on the site dropped a tool from a scaffold, or because a defective piece of equipment failed, you may have rights that go...
If your job regularly takes you away from a single fixed workplace — whether you are a sales representative driving between client sites, a service technician dispatched to different locations, a construction worker sent out of town for a project, or a delivery...
If you have ever been told by an insurance adjuster that your work injury “is not really work-related” because you had a pre-existing condition, you are not alone. Denials based on degenerative changes, prior injuries, or asymptomatic conditions found on...
By Mitchell M. Peskin, Attorney | Updated October 2026 If you have been injured at work in Illinois and are approaching the end of your medical treatment, you have probably heard the term “permanent partial disability” or “PPD.” Many injured...
If you have been treating for a work injury for months, there may come a day when your doctor writes two words in your chart that change the direction of your entire case: maximum medical improvement. It is often abbreviated MMI, and it is one of the most important...
One of the most common questions injured workers ask is whether their employer can fire them after they report a work injury or file a workers’ compensation claim. The fear is understandable — no one wants to lose their job on top of dealing with a serious...
Updated October 2026 to reflect Public Act 104-0792, which amended Sections 8.7 and 12 of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. You were injured at work. Your treating physician recommends surgery, physical therapy, or a specific medication to help you recover. Then...