At the law offices of Kent M. Lucaccioni, Ltd., we are experienced and dedicated to protecting the rights of workers who have suffered injuries at work. Contact us after an accidental injury that occurred on the job.

An injured worker must file an Application for Adjustment of Claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission to protect your rights and benefits under the Worker’s Compensation Act. If you do not file an Application for Adjustment of Claim with the Commission your rights relating to payment of medical bills, lost time payments or compensation for permanent disability may be jeopardized. Having an experienced and aggressive worker’s compensation attorney is critical in order to secure the maximum benefits available under the law, contact Kent M. Lucaccioni, Ltd. to schedule a free initial consultation.

There are three (3) main areas of benefits an injured worker may be entitled to receive under the Worker’s Compensation Act:

Benefit No. 1:

You are entitled to have all of your reasonable and necessary medical bills paid. You should not have to pay for medical treatment on your own, nor should you use any personal insurance, or union insurance plan. You should be covered 100% for doctor and hospital bills, prescription medications, physical therapy and, if necessary, occupational rehabilitation. You are allowed to go to any doctor of your own choosing, and you do not have to be treated by a doctor chosen by your employer’s insurance company. While your insurance company is allowed to have you examined by a doctor they choose, their examining doctor is not allowed to treat you without your permission and consent.

If an injured worker is permanently disabled and cannot return to his or her former job, the Worker’s Compensation Act requires that your employer pay for vocational rehabilitation. In some circumstances, this could require the employer to pay for a vocational expert who has experience in assessing the job market and help place the injured worker in suitable new employment. In other circumstances, vocational rehabilitation could require the employer to pay to retrain the injured worker for some other occupation. In some special cases, it could mean that the employer should pay for further education.

It is important that an injured worker consult with an attorney concerning these situations and issues. An employer or an insurance company can dispute the nature and extent of a worker’s injury or whether the medical bills were reasonable and necessary.

Benefit No 2:

When a worker is disabled and cannot return to work after an on-the-job injury, that worker is entitled to receive weekly benefits under the Worker’s Compensation Act. These benefits are referred to as TTD (Temporary Total Disability) benefits. TTD benefits are paid at the rate of 2/3 of the employee’s weekly wage average from the year before the accident. If an employer denies payment of TTD to an injured worker, written notice must be sent within fourteen (14) days of the injury. If TTD benefits are not paid within fourteen (14) days, and the employer cannot justify the delay in payment, the employer may be subject to penalties under the Worker’s Compensation Act.

There are different methods used to compute an injured employee’s average weekly wage. Having an experienced worker’s compensation attorney can increase the amount paid in TTD benefits.

Benefit No 3:

In the case of almost every injury, an injured worker is entitled to a lump sum settlement as compensation for the injury itself. This lump sum settlement amount is based upon a combination of the worker’s wages, the part of the body injured and the seriousness of the injury. Having an experienced, respected and aggressive worker’s compensation attorney is critical in obtaining the maximum settlement amount under the worker’s compensation act.

Kent M. Lucaccioni, Ltd. with office in Chicago and Elgin, represents injured workers throughout the State of Illinois. The sooner you are represented, the more likely it will be that your benefits are paid promptly, without interruption and that you will receive the maximum compensation available under the law. Please contact our office for a free legal consultation or complete our case evaluation form.

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