If injury is suffered during the course of employment but outside the primary work premises, as long as the employee is doing a job authorized by the employer the employee is still entitled to worker’s compensation. An employee may suffer severe injuries while performing work-related duties at any time. Injuries may be suffered in a work-related accident. An employee may also suffer an injury due to an inherently dangerous situation found in the workplace. In such cases, an employer may be held liable for any work-related accidents that occur during these aforementioned situations.
If an employee suffers any permanent total or partial impairment during the course of employment, that worker may be entitled to various forms of compensation provided by Illinois law. The Illinois Worker’s Compensation Act identifies and quantifies these various benefits for severely injured workers.
Employees are entitled to compensation for any wage differential in case they are compelled to downgrade their position to lower wages in order to obtain different employment due to the work-related injury. Illinois courts determine the degree of injury in order to evaluate the amount of benefit.
If a body part is totally impaired or amputated, an injured worker may be entitled to a higher degree of benefit. The degree and severity of the injury, prolonged illness and medical costs, change in the employer’s financial situation and other factors may also be reviewed when determining the amount of benefits that may be provided to the worker. With many different factors in play, getting the right information about the worker’s compensation system is crucial.
Source: IWCC.IL.gov, “Handbook on worker’s compensation an occupational diseases“, accessed at Oct. 17, 2014
