School Employees Injured on the Job

Chicago Lawyers for School Employees Injured While Working

School employees are at risk of many of the same types of injuries as workers in other professions including repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and more acute injuries from slip and falls and school violence. If you area school employee injured on the job, you may be able to recover workers’ compensation benefits. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, our Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers have more than six decades of experience representing workers injured or made sick by their jobs. When consulted, we can look at whether relief is available through the workers’ compensation system, civil litigation, or the SSDI claims process.

School Employees Injured on the Job

As a school employees, a work injury can seriously disrupt your life and finances. The Illinois workers’ compensation system is a no-fault system. Our Chicago lawyers won’t need to establish your employer was at fault for your job-related injuries to seek benefits on your behalf. The amount and type of benefits you can recover depends on your particular injuries and the extent to which your ability to work has been disrupted. Among other things, you can receive medical benefits. The school’s workers’ compensation insurer should pay for any reasonably necessary medical care.

If you can’t work while recovering from job-related injuries, you may be able to obtain temporary total disability benefits. These amount to 2/3 of your average weekly wage before you suffered injuries. Even if you are able to work with some limitations, you may be able to obtain these benefits if your employer is unable to give you modified light-duty work that accommodates your physical restrictions.

You won’t receive disability benefits for the first three days you’re not able to work. If you are unable to work for 14 days, you can obtain temporary total disability benefits for the first three days retroactively. Temporary total disability benefits may be paid until you reach maximum medical improvement. This is the point at which your medical condition has gotten as good as it will with treatment. An evaluation as to whether you have permanent injuries is made after you reach maximum medical improvement.

In some cases, school employees who have been injured on the job can return to light duty or part time duty at the school. Under those circumstances, you may be able to obtain temporary partial disability benefits, which amount to 2/3 of the difference between what you’d be making at your pre-injury job and your current wages.

If you’re unable to do any kind of work or you’ve lost the use of both your hands, arms, feet, legs, or eyes, you can obtain permanent total disability benefits. For example, if you were shot in the cervical spine and are paralyzed and suffer from PTSD such that you can no longer teach or do any other type of job for the school, you might be able to recover permanent total disability benefits, which would be calculated, like temporary total disability benefits as 2/3 of your average weekly wage. If you lose use of a part of your body, you can obtain permanent partial disability benefits include disfigurement benefits, an unscheduled award, wage differential benefits, or a loss-of-use award.

Suppose you are a school custodian who slips and falls and can go back to working only part-time for the remainder of your career. If you earn less because of a permanent partial disability you may be able to obtain a wage differential award. This is an award that is calculated as 2/3 of the difference between what you earn in your new job and what you’d earn at a pre-injury job.

Retain an Experienced Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If you are a school employee injured on the job, you should call our seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers. With more than 60 years of experience, we can explore your case from every angle to achieve the best outcome. We represent clients in workers’ compensation claims, personal injury lawsuits, and SSDI claims in Champaign, Quincy, Rockford, and Aurora, as well as Winnebago, Cook, Kane, Sangamon, and Adams Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.