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​Experienced ILLINOIS Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
& CHICAGO Injury Lawyers

Medical Benefits for State Troopers and Police Officers

Chicago Lawyers Helping Law Enforcement Officials

State troopers and police officers place themselves at risk every day. It’s not uncommon for law enforcement officers to get injured through strain, accident, or acute injury. Most employees injured on the job are eligible for benefits irrespective of fault. Because the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act does not allow benefits to police officers who have to work in an Illinois city that has more than 500,000 people, Chicago police officers are not covered. They do have other recourse. However, medical benefits for state troopers and police officers outside of Chicago are available. You should discuss your situation with the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca.

Medical Benefits for State Troopers and Police Officers

Whether you work as a state trooper or a police officer for a municipality outside Chicago, you’re entitled to recover medical benefits for work-related injuries under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Your lawyer will need to show that you were injured on the job or that your injury is work-related. You should notify your employer in writing as soon as you realize the connection between your job and your injuries. Your employer should notify its insurance carrier about your job-related injury. You should be aware that the insurer may question whether your injury is work-related or whether you are malingering, particularly if your injuries are the result of strain rather than an accident or conflict.

There is less likely to be a question about whether your injuries are job-related when you’re injured in a serious accident. For example, if you are a suburban police officer who fell from great heights while investigating a crime in front of witnesses and suffered paralysis, you should be able to obtain medical and other workers’ compensation benefits. For another example, if you were a state trooper who got into a car crash on the highway and suffered traumatic brain injury, you should be able to recover medical benefits.

You may start receiving benefits right away. However, you should be aware that your employer’s insurer may unexpectedly stop paying benefits or conduct surveillance, whether online or in person, to determine the legitimacy of your claim and the extent of your disability. It can be important to file an Application for Adjustment of Claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, which oversees claims, even if your medical care is being paid for. This will allow you to get a hearing more quickly in the event that the insurer abruptly stops paying benefits or refuses to authorize treatment you need.

Benefits

You can receive medical benefits that are reasonable and necessary based on your job-related injuries. The medical benefits could include emergency care, doctor’s visits, medical equipment, surgery, rehabilitation, and physical therapy. For instance, if you were shot in the brain and require brain surgery, an insurer may need to pay for this, along with any rehabilitation or therapy. You may also receive benefits for any partial or total disabilities.

You should go to the emergency room right away after getting hurt. In some cases, troopers and officers are taken to the hospital while they are unconscious. Once you are able to do so, it’s important to let the doctor know your injuries are work-related. For example, if you are a state trooper who was shot in the line of duty in an altercation with a suspect in Kane County, you should provide the information that you were injured on the job. In many cases, the doctor will ask what happened, but if not, you should specify your injuries were sustained on the job.

Retain an Experienced Chicago Attorney

If you are concerned about medical benefits for state troopers and police officers, you should retain the experienced Chicago lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We also represent law enforcement officers in Champaign, Quincy, Aurora, and Rockford, as well as Winnebago, Sangamon, Cook, Kane, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.