Benefits Available through Worker’s Compensation

If you are an employee injured on the job in the State of Illinois, you are entitled to receive three (3) benefits: medical treatment, temporary total disability (TTD) and compensation for your permanent injury or impairment.

 Medical Treatment

Your employer is obligated to pay for all expenses associated with your medical treatment.  The employer or the employer’s insurance company, however, has the right to direct medical care.  This means that the employer gets to choose the treating physician.  Failure to get authorization prior to obtaining treatment could result in the liability for the expense of that treatment. 

 The employer is obligated to provide medical treatment until the employee’s injury becomes permanent or treatment is no longer needed.  The employer may also be responsible for mileage and other travel costs depending on the location of the medical provider.

Temporary Total Disability

If the treating physician finds that the employee cannot work or that the employee can only work with restrictions that the employer cannot accommodate, the employee is considered disabled.  Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits are paid to the employee at 67% of the employee’s average weekly wage.  Average weekly wage is the amount of gross compensation received by the employee for the 52 week period prior to the date of accident.  TTD benefits are to be paid until the employee returns to work.

Permanent Partial Impairment

When the employee’s injury becomes permanent, the employer is obligated to pay compensation for the employee’s permanent impairment. Impairment is the loss of function the employee has due to his or her injury.  The employee is provided a permanent partial impairment (PPI) rating as a way to measure the loss of function.  Each degree or percent of impairment is worth a specific dollar amount as set out in the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Act.

Because the law does not allow employee’s to recover for pain and suffering, it is important that the injured employee receives all benefits to which he or she is entitled to receive.  The attorneys at Schreiner Malloy & Etzler, P.C. focus on maximizing their client’s benefits to the fullest allowed by the Worker’s Compensation Act.

If you or a loved one has been injured at work, please contact us at (219) 922-3901 for a free consultation.