Anything from repetitive strain to sudden injuries can lead to serious neck pain, and neck pain can lead to chronic, debilitating problems. Understanding more about the types of neck injuries you can develop can help you better recognize the signs of trouble and...
Workers’ Compensation
Why do we have a workers’ compensation system in Illinois?
Workers’ compensation systems became more common in European countries and the U.S. during the Industrial Revolution, when businesses began using fossil fuels for energy to power large factories. In these dangerous conditions, many workers faced injury and illness in...
Does your employer increase your risk of on-the-job injuries?
On-the-job injuries affect workers in every sector, but some workers are at a higher risk of injury because of their employers. The same people on whom we depend for paychecks and job security are also responsible for our workplace safety. Should employers fail in...
4 unexpected injuries employees in Illinois can experience on the job
No matter what industry you work in, you face certain hazards in the workplace. If you work in construction, this includes falls from heights; if you work in an office, you might experience carpal tunnel. Because these injuries are commonplace, there are typically...
Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission’s safety responses to COVID-19
We previously shared information about procedures that the Social Security Administration (SSA) had put into place to make it safer for claimants, the public and their staff during the current pandemic. In that post, we explained that only telephonic administrative...
The path of an Illinois workers’ compensation claim, part 1
In Illinois, when an employee gets a work-related injury or an occupational disease and the impairment is work-related, the exclusive legal remedy. Many people do not know how a workers’ compensation claim begins or the options for review and appeal should the claim...
Illinois workers’ compensation: Misclassifying an employee as a contractor
Imagine the surprise of someone who has worked for an employer under the assumption they were employed in the following situation. The worker suffers an injury on the job, files a workers’ compensation claim and the “employer” refuses to pay the claim because they say...
Takeaways for claimants from a recent Illinois workers’ compensation case
In Gonzalez v. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, a March 2020 case from the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, the court agreed with the Commission’s conclusion that the claimant, Hugo Gonzalez, had not proven by a preponderance of the evidence that...
IL high court clarifies when injury arises out of job for workers’ comp
On Sept. 24, the Supreme Court of Illinois released its opinion in McAllister v. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC), a case that elaborates on when an injury “arises out of” employment for purposes of workers’ compensation eligibility. The case...
Illinois workers’ comp for work-related psychological injuries
People may think of work injuries and occupational diseases as strictly physical harm for purposes of eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits in Illinois. However, in three kinds of situations, mental or psychological injury is also compensable under Illinois...
