In most cases, employers who have one or more part-time or full-time employees working for them must purchase workers’ compensation insurance coverage. But unfortunately, even if you have access to this type of coverage following a work-related accident or illness, receiving the benefits you are entitled to can be much more complicated than you might expect.
However, guidance and support from a Plainfield workers’ compensation lawyer could make a significant difference in your ability to pursue the compensation you need for a work-related injury. Whether you need help paying medical bills or are dealing with the long-term effects of a severe injury or illness, a dedicated personal injury attorney could assist you throughout the claims process.
When Does Workers’ Comp Coverage Take Effect?
In Illinois, workers’ compensation law covers all injuries and illnesses employees sustain due to job-related tasks or workplace conditions. However, there are several exceptions to this rule. For example, if workers suffer injuries because they engage in horseplay, commit crimes, or violate company policies, they may not receive benefits. Additionally, although workers’ comp does not cover harm sustained while off-duty, it generally covers job-related injuries that occur outside of the workplace, including incidents that happen while driving to a worksite in a company-owned vehicle.
Workers’ comp also covers chronic injuries and illnesses like carpal tunnel syndrome and certain cancers resulting from exposure to dangerous substances. Furthermore, while a worker in Illinois cannot file a workers’ comp claim over a pre-existing condition alone, they can file a claim if work-related conditions significantly worsen their injury. A hardworking attorney in Plainfield could review the circumstances leading up to a workplace incident and clarify the financial recovery paths an injured or ill person might have.
What Benefits Can Injured Employees Collect Under Workers’ Comp?
The primary purpose of workers’ comp coverage is to ensure that workers who get hurt or sick due to their working conditions are not burdened with paying for their medical treatment. Therefore, successful workers’ comp claims should reimburse injured workers for their medical treatment, inpatient and outpatient care, and long-term rehabilitative therapy expenses, as well as travel costs to and from doctors’ appointments and prescription medications.
If an injury or illness is severe enough to render someone unable to work, they may be eligible for different disability benefits, often paid out as two-thirds of their average daily income loss. These payments may last for various lengths of time based on how severe a disability is and how long it is expected to last. As a knowledgeable lawyer in Plainfield could explain, severely injured or ill workers who cannot return to their old job may be eligible for financial assistance with job retraining.
Get Help from a Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Plainfield
As helpful as workers’ compensation benefits can be for people who get sick or hurt on the job, they can also be very difficult to obtain. There are numerous procedures you must follow and requirements you must fulfill during the claims process. Likewise, there are various ways your employer and their insurance provider will likely fight back to minimize their liability for your harm.
Hiring a Plainfield workers’ compensation lawyer could be vital to overcoming this opposition and tipping the odds of a positive claim resolution in your favor. Call today to learn more.