If you have an injury related to the kind of work you do, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
Based on a schedule of calculations, you may also be able to receive a permanency award along with temporary benefits. What is this and how does it work?
About workers’ compensation benefits
If you sustain a work-related injury, your first step is to seek medical attention, then report it to your employer. Your employer should provide you with a form to fill out so you can submit a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. If the injury affects you permanently, the next step for the insurer is to calculate the approximate value.
Permanency calculations
To compensate you for the lasting effects of your injury, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Statute provides a schedule to help in calculating the value of the injury. Using the schedule, your attorney or a judge can estimate the value by multiplying 60% of your average weekly wage by the number of weeks the schedule lists for the injured body part. Consider an injured thumb, for example. As long as the injury occurred after June 28, 2011, the number of weeks for which you may receive compensation is 76. For an injured foot, 167 weeks. If you suffered hearing loss in both ears as a result of the kind of work you do, benefits will continue for 215 weeks according to the Schedule of Body Parts.
A look forward
In addition to temporary workers’ compensation benefits, you might also qualify for the permanency award. If you have lasting effects from your work-related injury, you can rely on a knowledgeable advocate to provide further information and assistance.
