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...
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...
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...
COVID-19 is often without symptoms or may cause only mild illness. But in about 10% of cases, the patients become “long haulers” whose novel coronavirus symptoms continue after they test negative for the virus, sometimes even for months, according to UC Davis Health....
In early December, the Social Security Administration (SSA) proposed amending the regulations that require the agency to consider the impact of older age on the ability to work when defining disability for purposes of eligibility for Social Security Disability...
Normally, when the Social Security Administration (SSA) approves a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application, the claimant receives their first monthly payment of benefits in the sixth month after the agency found the disability began. This five-month...
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...
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...
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...
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...
