Medical Benefits for Construction Workers
Chicago Lawyers for Construction Workers Seeking Medical Benefits
After a construction accident, you may suffer serious injuries that require significant medical care both in the present and in the future. Many construction workers need help through a difficult time and it’s important to get appropriate medical care early on, in many cases. You can obtain medical benefit as part of your workers’ compensation benefits in connection with a construction work accident. If you are a construction worker who needs medical benefits for construction workers, you should give the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca a call. We have more than 60 years of experience advocating for best results for construction workers and workers in other industries, as well.
Attorneys to Seek Medical Benefits
Construction company employees who are hurt or injured due to an industrial accident on the job in Chicago or surrounding areas should be able to obtain medical benefits as part of the benefits they’re owed under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. This law requires most employers to obtain workers’ compensation insurance to cover their workers in case of a work-related injury.
You’ll need to understand your right to medical benefits to make sure you receive the appropriate coverage for all medical bills arising out of your work-related accident. It’s important to talk to our experienced workers’ compensation lawyers about your claim.
Under the Act, you’re entitled to receive medical treatment that’s reasonably necessary to relieve or cure you of the effects of your injury. This can include treatment over a long period of time and according to changing aspects of your injuries. For instance, an injury may appear minor initially, requiring only rest and medication, but then prove to be more enduring and have more significant consequences down the road. For that reason, you should report your injuries to your employer as soon as possible, but in no event later than 45 days after the accident occurs, or it becomes reasonably clear that a chronic condition is work-related. Delay can harm your ability to obtain benefits.
Medical benefits can include costs such as medical devices, transport, ER and hospital bills, doctor’s visits, prescriptions and treatments, and institutional care. For example, if you fall from the second story of a house and suffer paralysis and broken bones, you may need not only emergency care, but also prescription drugs and perhaps a wheelchair. You might need surgery and significant physical therapy. All of these should be covered, but unfortunately insurers do try to save money and avoid paying full medical benefits by finding those areas where the claim is a little more ambiguous.
You can choose your doctor, hospital and treatments, subject to certain restrictions. However, your provider will need to provide full reports if your employer, its insurer, or the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission requests it. There are procedures for which your health care provider will need to seek pre-authorization. Typically these procedures are ordered by specialists, or when expensive diagnostic testing like an MRI or CT should be done, and your physician needs to make sure it will be covered by the insurer. In some of these instances, pre-authorization is not required, and it is crucial to hire a lawyer to request a hearing before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission make sure you can get medical care you need and to which you’re entitled.
Third Party Lawsuits
In some cases, a construction worker may be entitled to obtain damages through a third party lawsuit, as well. Workers’ compensation is an exclusive remedy with regard to employers, but third parties could still be sued after an accident. There are important subrogation interests that insurers will protect in connection with a claim that involves a third party’s negligence, and our attorneys can help you navigate those complexities.
Call Seasoned Construction Work Accident Lawyers
If you are concerned about medical benefits for construction workers, you should give our Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers a call. We represent construction workers in Aurora, Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. We handle third party lawsuits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims as well. We have you covered not only in cases clearly involving work injuries, but also those that may be a little trickier or involve more complicated dynamics. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.