Harvey & StuckelFIGHTING FOR THE Injured Since 19772022-09-06T08:13:59Zhttps://www.hslaw.us/feed/atom/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/sites/1502445/2021/09/cropped-favicon-32x32.pngOn Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467952021-09-21T13:44:42Z2021-09-14T22:25:07Zlink to the National Law Review provides some basic information. https://www.natlawreview.com/article/illinois-makes-workers-compensation-more-accessible-covid-19-first-responders-and. Contact J. Kevin Wolfe at jkwolfe@hslaw.us for more detailed information on any possible claim. As always, take care and be safe.
Back To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467942021-09-21T13:45:01Z2021-09-14T22:24:51Z2019-01-16
A few months ago we talked about the battle in Illinois over Workers’ Compensation benefits and the costs to employers. Of course the fight is not over and Governor Rauner continues to say that injured people get too much and ought to receive less.
Ask just about anyone who is out of work and trying to get by on temporary disability benefits and they will have a different story. Weekly benefits seldom match up with actual earnings so if you have the bad luck to get hurt in the middle of the construction season when overtime is plentiful and work is good, you are going to lose all that overtime money and get paid at a weekly rate that is based on your whole year and not just what you were making at the time of injury. For most people that means those slow months are averaged in to the good months and the weekly benefit rate is cut. In addition, Workers’ Comp does not pay for health insurance and contributes nothing to pension so all those fringe benefits disappear.
The Republican refrain is that benefits cost too much and Illinois loses employers who don’t want to pay the high cost of comp. The trust is that the rate of injury in Illinois is less than the national average and far less than in our neighboring states of Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In addition to the lower rate of injury, Workers’ Compensation claims are down 16 percent and the amount paid per claim has been reduced by 8 percent from 2009 to the present.
You might think this would all translate into lower costs for Illinois employers but thanks to our insurance industry it hasn’t happened. The national insurance group that recommends rates for almost all states says that rates charged to employers in Illinois should be down 30 percent. But they are only down a small fraction of that amount and the profits of insurance companies have increased 30 fold since 2011. How much did your wages go up over that time?
Speaking of costs to run government, we talked in the past about the Village of Lincolnshire and how its spends taxpayer dollars. Remember that they are the ones who tried to make right to work the law in their community even though it does not exist anywhere else in the state. That waste of taxpayer dollars to print the law ran smack into a federal judge who understood that one little town can’t make law for the whole state and he told the town to forget it.
Instead of getting back to cleaning the streets and fixing sidewalks, Lincolnshire wants to spend more taxpayer money appealing the district court decision to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. I guess they can afford it since the household income in Lincolnshire is about 2 times what it is statewide. I guess those that got it want to make sure they don’t have to share it.
Always remember that the bottom line for right to work is that Union members pay the cost for all those who chose not to join or pay dues. And don’t think that the Union can deny the freeloaders full representation because it can’t so you get to pay for someone whose “conscience” says they can’t support the Union.
All the tweets in the world don’t change the facts.
Back To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467932021-09-21T13:45:21Z2021-09-14T22:24:34Zhttps://www.1470wmbd.com/2020/04/25/judge-blocks-new-illinois-workers-compensation-rule/
Back To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467922021-09-21T13:45:36Z2021-09-14T22:24:18ZBack To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467912021-09-21T13:45:49Z2021-09-14T22:24:05ZBusiness groups file lawsuit against workers' compensation emergency rule.
Back To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467902021-09-21T13:46:05Z2021-09-14T22:23:43Zworkers' comp reform since he was a gubernatorial candidate and has pushed for changes as soon as he held office. In fact, the budget impasse then was counting on the changes that were to be made in the workers' compensation reform. This means that the reform was crucial not only to workers' compensation but also to the passing of the annual budget.
Highest Workers' Compensation Rates in the Country
Businesses in Illinois have paid some of the highest workers' compensation rates in the country. The governor and many Republicans claim that this is caused by the limited controls on abuse by workers. However, Democrats claim that insurance companies have been keeping the profits for themselves after a reform measure was passed six years ago. Thus, the bill that the Democrats passed establishes government oversight on insurance companies and the manner in which whey charge businesses.
With sources from:
Illinois Lawmakers Pass Workers' Compensation Measures
Democratic Lawmakers Pass Workers' Comp Bill
Workers' Compensation
Back To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467892021-09-14T22:23:21Z2021-09-14T22:23:21ZBack To News]]>On Behalf of Harvey & Stuckelhttps://www.hslaw.us/?p=467882021-09-14T22:22:26Z2021-09-14T22:22:26ZMoran v. Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (Village of Homewood), 2016 IL App (1st) 151366WC, the Illinois Appellate court found that a firefighter, who had witnessed the injury and death of a fellow firefighter at the scene of the incident, proved entitlement to benefits for the development of post traumatic stress, even though the claimant was not physically injured. This is an important decision as it affirms the rights of workers who "suffer a sudden, severe emotional shock traceable to a definite time, place and cause which causes psychological injury or harm...".Knowing how to address these injuries, how to properly present them to an arbitrator or a jury, and what it takes to prove your claim is important. If you have suffered this type of injury, or are in an accident and have questions, call us to get the advice and representation necessary to win your case.Back To News]]>