If You Have Been Injured At Work, Contact the Jacksonville IL Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at the Noll Law Office for a Free Consultation.
Jacksonville, IL, is a lovely small-town community where people support each other. Yet, workplace injuries can still occur leaving people with long-term complications. If you have been injured at work, you may be entitled to insurance coverage of your medical bills, payment for the time that you have missed healing after the work injury, and other benefits provided under workers’ compensation insurance. In their experience, the Jacksonville IL workers’ compensation lawyers at the Noll Law Office have found many workers don’t know their rights to compensation coverage and benefits.
Consider Amy, for example, who was working in a factory, putting together parts for local farm machinery. The factory failed to conduct a safety check of its equipment. The machine proceeded at a rapid speed crushing her hand and severing a finger causing a broken bone and a torn muscle in addition to the amputation injury. Amy’s coworker drove her to the hospital where Amy learned she needed extensive surgery with physical rehabilitation to regain function in her hand. She wasn’t able to work for six weeks and, when she returned, had limited “light” duties. As such, her employer had a limited number of work hours to provide her. It was unclear as to whether she would ever regain full strength and range of motion in her hand. Amy was financially devastated.
In this situation, Amy was injured in the scope of her employment. Because almost every employer in the State of Illinois is required to carry workers’ compensation insurance if they have more than one employee, Amy is entitled to payment of her medical bills, temporary total disability, and a wage differential when she was working light duty. If her hand did not regain its functional grip capabilities, prohibiting her from machine work, Amy would be potentially eligible for vocational rehabilitation.
At the Noll Law Office, their Jacksonville, Illinois workers’ compensation lawyers work closely with their clients to help them learn what their rights are. They gather evidence, pursue claims, and work to obtain the maximum amount of coverage allowable under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Let them help you if you’ve suffered injury or illness from your work environment.
Since 1948, the Noll Law Office has been litigating cases in Central Illinois. Their lawyers are local, experienced attorneys who emphasize client communication and aggressive advocacy. They do not take a fee unless they are able to obtain a settlement or arbitration award on your behalf. They offer free initial consultations so you can meet with them and get an honest legal opinion on your workers’ compensation claim. Call them at (217) 414-8889 and they will be happy to meet with you.
Illinois Workers’ Compensation Claims Process
The claims process for workers’ compensation can prove to be challenging. Typically, as soon as an accident occurs, you should:
- Notify your supervisor of your injury (preferably in writing).
- Get immediate medical care and tell your doctor how you were injured. Your doctor can rule out severe injury or refer you for additional specialized medical care if you have a significant injury (for example, MRIs, physical therapy, orthopedic surgery, etc.
- Give your employer a copy of your doctor’s note, so that the company knows your diagnosis and what work restrictions you have.
- Speak to your supervisor about filing a workers’ compensation claim to cover your medical bills.
- Return to your doctor as often as is necessary until you are cured, or until your doctor has determined that you have reached “maximum medical improvement.”
- File a claim with the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission and be prepared to move forward to arbitration if you have an uncooperative insurance company.
In the meantime, obtain all necessary testing recommended by the doctor and keep your appointments. Describe to the doctor how you came to be injured at work. Find out what restrictions you have for working and see if your employer will let you return to work on light duty until released from your doctor to full duty. If no “light duty” is available, you should confirm that a workers’ compensation claim has been quickly submitted so that you can obtain off-work benefits.
Your employer will help file the claim with the workers’ compensation insurance company. The insurance company will provide you with paperwork to complete and give you a claim number.
From there, if you do not have a workers’ compensation attorney, you will need to communicate with the insurance company about your medical diagnosis, provide copies of medical records and medical bills (or sign a HIPAA), and outline all the other losses you’ve suffered due to not being able to work.
Completing this process is time-consuming and often frustrating because insurance companies often attempt to find reasons not to provide insurance coverage of valid claims. That’s where the Noll Law Office’s Jacksonville, Illinois workers’ compensation lawyers can assist you.
Common Issues and Missteps
There are many potential complications that can occur in cases like this. Some of the most common include:
- Failing to report your injury to your supervisor.
- Not returning to the doctor, in hopes that your symptoms will vanish on their own.
- Closing your claim too soon – settling for less than what is owed to you, or without coverage of your medical bills.
- Not knowing your eligibility for different types of workers’ compensation insurance benefits, which vary based on the facts of the case.
The best way to minimize these complications is to work with a highly skilled and experienced workers’ compensation lawyer near Jacksonville, IL. The team at the Noll Law Office is here to help you.
One helpful resource for injured workers is the Injured Workers Handbook, which is published by the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission. Whether you hire an attorney or attempt to arbitrate on your own, the handbook provides practical, easy information to read prior to moving forward in your insurance claim.
Illinois Workers’ Compensation Statistics
Mistakes happen in many industries and often lead to long-term negative outcomes. Across the state in 2020, more than 106,900 people suffered workplace injuries or illness in the state of Illinois, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In these situations, many people missed time at work, struggled with medical bills, had to change to a new job, or may even become unable to work together. With the help of the Noll Law Office’s Jacksonville, IL workers’ compensation attorneys, they will work to help you get any compensation owed to you in your case. Let their family help yours.
How to Choose the Best Workers’ Compensation Attorney for You
The Noll Law Office’s workers’ compensation attorneys are committed to being by your side throughout this legal process. They have a proven track record of being aggressive in helping their clients. Let them help you get back to work.
When hiring an attorney to represent you, be sure they:
- Are highly experienced in workers’ compensation matters in Illinois.
- Are available to you for a free consultation and make the time to personally talk to you.
- Are able to discuss the intricacies of workers’ compensation law easily and off the top of their head. Attorneys should be walking encyclopedias in their field of practice to ensure that they obtain a timely and thorough outcome.
- Have a track record of actively litigating a case instead of settling every client’s claim.
- Are local. It can be difficult to travel to Chicago or St. Louis while out of work in an injury. Finding a local attorney is usually helpful just in terms of logistics. They know the medical providers and local arbitrators. You also want lawyers who are available in a short drive to meet with you personally.
The Noll Law Offices’ workers’ compensation attorneys are ready to help you now. Feel free to reach out to them immediately for a free consultation.
How the Noll Law Office Will Help
The Noll Law Office is committed to working with you to protect your rights. Let them guide you through this process. Set up a free consultation with their workers’ compensation lawyers. They’ll discuss your case, gather evidence, and alleviate your frustration by fighting to get the compensation that is owed to you after this workplace accident.
Their work comp attorneys can help you:
- Gather evidence to support your claims;
- Work to determine what benefits you are eligible for;
- Calculate your most favorable average weekly wage;
- Obtain medical testimony to support your damages claims through the depositions of your physicians;
- Issue subpoenas for evidence;
- File claims with the insurance agency; and
- Negotiate and even take the case to court to prove your right to compensation.
Call the Noll Law Office today. There is no fee unless they successfully obtain a settlement or an award at arbitration.