Granite City Disability Law Attorney
When workers are injured on the job, they count on their employers to provide workers' compensation insurance to pay for their medical bills, lost wages and other injury-related costs.
However, health care is expensive, and employers often seek ways to avoid paying everything they should. State laws can aid this tendency.
At Brunton Law Offices, our attorneys have more than 40 combined years of experience in litigating on behalf of our southern Illinois and eastern Missouri clients. We serve clients in the Illinois cities of Alton, Belleville, Collinsville, Granite City, Edwardsville, O'Fallon, East St. Louis and Troy, as well as all of St. Clair County and Madison County in Illinois, and the city of St. Louis in Missouri.
We represent workers' compensation clients in the fields of construction, landscaping, road work, paving, laying concrete, public safety and the trades. Our clients work in offices, build homes, move goods in warehouses and work as operations engineers, pipe fitters, boilermakers, police officers, firefighters and as commercial truckers.
Whatever your field and whatever your injury, chances are we can help you get the workers' compensation you need, even if your workers' compensation claims are initially rejected.
Why We Are Effective | Illinois and Missouri Workers' Compensation Attorneys
We understand the nuances of both the Illinois workers' comp system and the Missouri workers' comp system, and we can use our knowledge to help ensure your claims will not slip through the cracks, or be undervalued by an employer, its medical provider or workers' compensation insurance company.
For more information, or a free consultation with a lawyer, contact us in Collinsville, Illinois, or call 618-623-4338 or 866-942-0203 toll free.
Don't Let an 'Opt Out' Be a Cop-Out | Missouri, Illinois Handle Workman's Comp Differently
While employers in Illinois are required to allow employees to seek their own medical care following a workplace injury, Missouri gives employers an advantage by forcing the employee to use medical care of the employer's choosing. Likewise, while both states' systems require employers to be liable for workplace injury care, employers have the option to self-insure.
In the Missouri system, it is quite possible for an employer to require an employee to seek treatment far from home — a situation which can lead to the employee receiving untimely or incomplete medical care. Likewise, a large employer like Wal-Mart can opt out of workers' compensation insurance and pay out of pocket for employee injuries.
The trick under these circumstances is to get the employer to pay what your claim is worth.
Failure to Pay Workers' Compensation Benefits? We Can Help.
If employers or their agents refuse to pay your workers' comp benefits, we can step in and hold them accountable. We can do this by using medical records of your specific workers' comp injuries and treatments, expert testimony regarding the necessity of those treatments, and other evidence that proves your temporary or permanent disability, lost wages and other damages.
In general, injured workers should receive:
- Two-thirds of their average weekly wage
- Medical coverage for their injuries
- Additional disability payments, such as Temporary Total Disability (TTD) or Social Security Disability (SSD), depending on the severity of their condition.
In Illinois, an injured worker can choose which doctor he or she sees, but in Missouri the employer makes that choice. Despite this, Illinois employers sometimes lead their employees to believe that they must see a company-approved doctor. Likewise, Missouri employers sometimes send employees to physicians whose inclination it is to deny claims for TTD, SSD and other disability.
It is important to understand details like these when starting a workers' compensation claim, and it is even more important that you hire an attorney if there are any delays or resistance to your eligible damages being paid.
Workers' Comp Questions? Let Us Guide You | Brunton Law Offices | 618-623-4338
Your employer might not be looking out for you, but the lawyers of Brunton Law Offices will. To discuss your circumstances in more detail, and to learn about your options, call us at 618-623-4338 or 866-942-0203 toll free. You may also contact us online.
For more information about the workers' compensation process in Illinois and Missouri, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions pages.
