Workers in Illinois may have to face some changes in their workers’ compensation plan if they have been involved in an accident and have been injured at work. In a recent amendment move in the Illinois State House of Representatives, Democrats have made an attempt to pass amendments in the existing workers’ compensation law for workers that requires employers to pay the medical expenses in the event that a worker has been injured in the workplace.
Among the amendments passed, one of those amendments addresses the idea that the cause of the accident or injury must be investigated and determined in order to make sure that the injury actually did occur in the workplace while the worker was performing duties related to that worker’s job.
Another amendment focuses on the payment of compensation, on the chance that the injury occurred previously as well to that same worker. Under that amendment, the insurance provider would also be in a position of having the right to sue any previous employer of the injured worker regarding related costs that were incurred while the worker’s injuries were being treated. However, under the new amendments, it may be difficult for workers to seek worker’s compensation if they were injured while traveling.
The amendment that was up for discussion by the Democrats was passed by the house by a 63-39 vote. However, no Republicans voted for this bill and it was not well received by them. The Republicans believe that the bill would not benefit businesses in any way.
Source: TheHerald-News.com, “Illinois House OKs changes for workers’ compensation,” Lauren Cross, June 4, 2015
