We continue with our series on how Illinois employees are protected by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Here we will discuss the benefits to which you are entitled and how our Chicago workers compensation lawyers can help. Over the last 20 years Morici, Longo & Associates’ lawyers have recovered hundreds of millions in benefits for our clients who sustained personal injury arising out of and in the course of their employment.
Once the claim is established with the employer, it is usually turned over to an insurance adjuster or third-party administrator. These are professionals with whom we are accustomed to dealing. They are probably nice people, but they work for your potential adversary. You should have the services of our legal team on your side.
You have the right to have all your medical bills paid, to have two “choices” of treating doctors, and to have your doctor/patient confidentiality protected. You have the right to see specialists to whom your doctor refers you. This is described as a chain of referrals and only counts as one of the two “choices” of healthcare professionals to which you are entitled. Of course, our lawyers will help you make sure the chain of referral is clearly documented.
For example, if the emergency room refers you to follow up with a specialist and that specialist sends you to a facility for an MRI and then that same doctor refers you to a pain management specialist or a surgeon, that is only one of your chains of choice. Should you desire a second opinion and your doctor does not refer you, that will start another chain of treating doctors.
Our lawyers will make sure that your patient/physician confidentiality is respected and that YOU and your doctor make treatment decisions and not the insurance company. Our workers’ compensation lawyers and experienced staff are with you every step of the way to aggressively pursue full and complete compensation for your injury. Call (312) 779-0366 to schedule a consultation.