What Are The Requirements To Receive Workers’ Comp In Illinois?

Worker’s comp insurance in Illinois covers expenses for employees if they are injured on the job or fall ill during their work duties. The coverage can pay for your medical bills and replace most of the wages you may lose as you recuperate. However, not every employee is eligible for compensation.

Eligibility Requirements for Workers’ Compensation

If you are eligible for worker’s comp, you will receive it whether you were at fault for the injury or someone else. However, you cannot file a lawsuit against your employer later, except in a few situations.

Illinois workers’ compensation attorneys will tell you that to be eligible for worker’s comp in Illinois you:

• Have to be an employee.
• Must work for an employer who carries the insurance.
• Must have a work-related illness or injury.
• Must meet the state’s deadline for reporting said illness or injury.
• File a worker’s compensation claim.

Special employee categories (such as farm workers, domestic workers, seasonal workers, and temporary workers) have to follow separate rules for compensation.

What You Should Do to Get Workers’ Compensation

If you are eligible for compensation, you can still forfeit your claim if you don’t do the following beforehand:

• Get medical help as soon as you are injured or fall sick.
• Follow your doctor’s advice and try to heal so you can return to work promptly. Employees who fail to do this and make their condition worse, as a result, can lose their benefits.
• Inform the doctor that your condition is work-related, so they know that your employer will cover the medical bill.
• Provide the hospital or doctor’s name and address to your employer and if you change doctors later.
• Hand over copies of your medical records to your employer as proof of your claim, condition, and the treatments you received or have to get.

What Workers’ Comp Doesn’t Cover

Worker’s comp doesn’t cover the following ailments:

• Injuries that result from horseplay or fighting.
• Self-inflicted injuries.
• Psychiatric disorders or stress.
• Injuries sustained while you committed a crime.
• Injuries sustained under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or policy violations.

If your work is repetitive (such as assembly line work) or you type for hours every day, you can sustain cumulative injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) that workers’ comp may cover. You can be eligible for benefits if you took time off because of the injury and know it is work-related. In either case, you should visit a doctor right away and file your claim, so your employer is in the know from the get-go.

Get the Compensation You Deserve With Help from Robert Edens

If you are eligible for workers’ comp in Illinois, but your claim was denied, contact the Illinois workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert T. Edens today. We have more than two decades of experience fighting for the rights of employees like you and have an impressive track record of successful cases.

Contact us for a free consultation today. We can provide testimonials of satisfied clients on-demand and let you know the expected outcome of your case.