Getting hurt on the job or sent home because of the increasing symptoms of a work-acquired medical condition will affect your whole family. The worse your injury or illness is and the longer you will be off of work, the bigger the financial impact it will have.
You probably already know that workers’ compensation will cover your care costs. The medical benefits available to workers in Illinois can take a lot of the financial pressure off of your family. Unlike with standard health insurance, there are no co-pays or deductibles to cover.
However, just eliminating your medical bills won’t offset the financial impact of your medical condition from work. Thankfully, that’s why workers’ compensation also provides disability benefits.
How do disability benefits work?
When you will be off of work for at least three days, you potentially qualify for disability benefits. The length of your leave of absence determines the kind of benefits you receive. In some cases, even workers who can continue doing some work can receive partial disability benefits if they must accept a lower-paid position because of their injury.
A worker can potentially receive up to two-thirds of their average weekly wage or two-thirds of the difference between their current wage and what they learned prior to their injury. Currently, the maximum weekly benefit available through workers’ compensation is $1,693.76 per week. High-earning workers may find that the maximum benefit falls far short of two-thirds of their average weekly pay.
While disability benefits may not fully cover your lost wages or the gap between what you used to make and what you make now, these benefits can help you pay your mortgage and other major expenses until you can return to work.
Getting workers’ compensation helps your whole family
Many workers, especially immigrant workers and those in physically-demanding positions, may feel like they cannot report a workplace injury or claim workers’ compensation benefits. They may fear retaliation or a negative impact on their career.
Any worker who develops a medical condition because of their employment may have the right to seek medical coverage and disability benefits under Illinois law without worrying about retaliation or damage to their career. Learning more about workers’ compensation can help you manage a claim if you ever need those benefits.
