If you are hurt on the job, you should be able to get workers’ comp for your medical bills and partial wages. But many things can go awry in a workers’ comp claim, and one of them involves your treating doctor.
You have the right in Illinois to choose your treating doctor during your recovery, and you may also have to deal at some point with the insurance company’s doctor. In either case, there are certain things you should not do when working with your treating doctor. If you need assistance with your claim or injury, our Cook County workers’ compensation lawyers can offer outstanding representation.
Illinois state law states that the employer must pay for all necessary medical care to deal with your work-related illness or injury. When needed, the employer must also pay for mental, physical, and vocational rehabilitation.
The employee is allowed to select two physicians, surgeons, or hospitals. If the company informs you that it has an approved preferred provider program (PPP) for workers’ comp, the preferred provider counts as one of your two choices.
There are several things you should refrain from dealing with your treating physician. This is true whether it is your personal doctor or the insurance company doctor:
You should always tell the truth to the doctor about what happened that injured you. It could be tempting to not tell the truth about how the accident occurred, but it will not benefit your case and could hurt it. Remember, fault does not usually matter in an Illinois workers’ comp case; as long as you were injured at work, you should receive benefits. So, obscuring the truth about how it happened is not necessary.
Also, the doctor deals with workers’ comp injuries often. They probably know how the injury happened, and if something sounds off in your explanations, it could raise red flags and affect your benefits.
It is common for injured parties to have a preexisting condition in the body area or part that was injured at work. If you have a preexisting injury, remember to disclose it to your treating physician. Do not attempt to hide it or omit this vital information. You are not precluded from receiving worker’s comp because of a preexisting injury.
Do not exaggerate your injury because you think it benefits your case. Be honest about the injury, how it happened, and your pain. Your benefits and recovery depend on you telling the truth to your treating doctor. The doctor sees many work-related injury cases and probably can spot people who is not telling the truth.
If you were hurt at work in Cook County, you can probably receive workers’ compensation during your recovery. But you should ensure that you comply with your workers’ comp doctor’s instructions, or your benefits could be at risk. For assistance with your case, speak to our Cook County workers’ compensation lawyers at The Law Office of Robert T. Edens at (847) 395-2200. Mr. Edens may be able to obtain a better workers’ compensation settlement than you could on your own.
The Law Offices of Robert T. Edens, Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation Law Office, have offices in Antioch, Waukegan, Grayslake, Woodstock and Barrington. We represent clients throughout the communities of Antioch, Waukegan, Grayslake, Barrington, Woodstock, Buffalo Grove, Deer Park, Gurnee, Lake Zurich, Round Lake, McHenry, Cary, Crystal Lake, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Wheeling, North Chicago, Zion, Inverness, Palatine, Wauconda, Island Lake, Fox Lake, Barrington Hills, Spring Grove, Lake Bluff, Lakemoor, Long Grove, Lake Villa, Kildeer, Wadsworth, Indian Creek, Fox River Grove, Lindenhurst and other cities within Lake and McHenry Counties Illinois.
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