How Much is My Illinois Workers’ Compensation Claim Worth?
If you or somebody you care about has sustained a workplace injury in Chicago or anywhere in Illinois, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. However, injured workers often receive pushback from insurance carriers and their employers. Here, we want to discuss how much you can expect to receive for your Illinois workers’ compensation claim.
What Compensation is Available for an Illinois Workers’ Comp Claim?
The total amount of compensation a person receives for their workers’ compensation claim in Illinois will vary depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding their particular workplace injury. Since no two work injuries are exactly alike, there is no way for us to put a single dollar amount on a particular theoretical work injury claim.
However, we do know that some of the main factors that affect workers’ compensation claim amounts include the severity of the injuries and whether or not a person can work while they recover from their injury.
Examining Medical Bills
Individuals who sustain an on-the-job injury should be entitled to full coverage of all medical bills arising as a result of the injury. Again, the severity of the injury will completely affect how much compensation a person receives for their medical care. Some of the most common types of compensation that workers are entitled to in these situations includes coverage of:
- Emergency medical bills arising due to the injury
- All follow-up hospital or doctor visits
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Prescription medications
- Medical devices
- In-home medical care
- Prosthetics
Looking at Lost Wages
When a person sustains a workplace injury, they will also be entitled to temporary total disability (TTD) benefits if they cannot work while they are recovering from their workplace injury or if an employer cannot give modified light-duty work that accommodates current physical limitations caused by the injury.
Individuals will not receive temporary total disability benefits for the first three lost workdays unless they need at least 14 days (or more) off of work total. TTD benefits are supposed to continue until a doctor says the individual has reached what is known as maximum medical improvement, which is the point where the condition has improved as much as it is going to with treatment.
The total amount of TTD benefits a person receives will equal two-thirds of the individual’s pre-injury average weekly wage. The maximum amount a person can receive weekly is $1,549.07 (at 2020 rates).
If an individual is able to return to light-duty work or part-time work, they could receive temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits. These benefits are calculated as two-thirds of the difference between what an individual was earning at their pre-injury job and their current wages at their temporary job.
The total amount of TTD or TPD an individual receives will vary depending on how long a person misses work or how long they have to work in a temporary light-duty job before they’re able to return to their regular job.
Permanent Benefits
If a person has reached maximum medical improvement, a doctor will conduct an evaluation to determine whether or not their injury or illness has left them with a permanent physical loss or disability. A person could be considered permanently disabled if they are unable to do any kind of work or if they have lost the use of both hands, arms, feet, eyes, or legs (or any two of those limbs combined). If this is the case, an individual will receive permanent total disability benefits for the remainder of their life, at the same rate as their temporary total disability benefits.
If you’ve been injured at work, it’s always advised to consult with an Illinois workers’ compensation lawyer.