Workers’ Compensation Hearings for Health Care Workers

Chicago Attorneys for Workers’ Compensation Claims of Health Care Workers

Millions work in the health care industry. It is an industry that has, most recently, been severely and adversely affected by COVID-19. Often health care workers put their own health at risk in order to care for those affected by the virus and other serious conditions. Health care workers include doctors, surgeons, nurses, personal care aides, nursing assistants, paramedics and technicians. They provide care in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, residential care facilities, and doctor’s offices. In some cases, the care is provided in a setting separate from a patient’s home, while in other cases, care may be offered in a patient’s home. These health care workers owe a professional standard of care to those injured or sick who seek services. But what happens to them when they get hurt or sick when they are working? If you need to attend a worker’s compensation hearing as a health care worker injured on the job, call the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca.

Our firm represents health care workers in Rockford, Aurora, Champaign, and Quincy, along with Winnebago, Kane, Sangamon, Cook, and Adams Counties. With more than 60 years of experience, you can feel assured that our representation will achieve the best outcome you could hope for in your case.

Workers’ Compensation Hearings for Chicago Health Care Workers

Many health care facilities are now understaffed. Health care workers may not be trained for serious and unexpected hazards, as COVID-19 was several years ago. The rise in infectious diseases has resulted in an exodus of health care workers from the caregiving industries that places more stress and work on those workers who stayed, and the diminished conditions can result in work injuries. You might assume that your employer understands the importance of you receiving medical care after getting injured on the job. Unfortunately, valid workers’ compensation claims, including claims for medical benefits, get denied routinely.

When your claim is denied, our firm can request a workers’ compensation hearing before an arbitrator.

What Happens at a Workers’ Compensation Hearing?

During a workers’ compensation hearing, the insurer’s lawyer and your lawyer will present each side of the disputed issues. Both evidence and arguments are put forward to an arbitrator at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC), similar to the way they would be if a trial were conducted.

In order to establish your entitlement to benefits, our attorneys will gather incident reports, medical records, expert testimony, and layperson testimony to present on behalf of the disputed issue. For example, if the other side presents an IME report that counters your claim of long COVID, we may present expert testimony to show that you do suffer from the symptoms of long COVID. We would also present any evidence we could to show that your long-COVID is work-related.

Similarly, if you sustained job-related back injuries and your employer’s insurer refuses to pay permanent and total disabilities though you are unable to lift patients and perform other job tasks as a result of those injuries, we would try to present evidence and arguments that support your position at the hearing before an arbitrator.

If the arbitrator sides with the insurer, our lawyers would be able to appeal the decision to three commissioners at the IWCC.

Call a Chicago Workers’ Compensation Law Firm for Health Care Workers

If you are a Chicago health care worker who suffered injuries or disease due to your job and your claim was denied, you should call us to represent you at a workers’ compensation hearing. Our seasoned attorneys have more than 60 years of experience advocating for health care workers and others in workers’ compensation hearings, as well as third party lawsuits or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims arising out of job-related injuries. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.