Workers Compensation Construction accident Illinois IndianaEvery year, over 4 million people suffer from a work-related injury or occupational illness. At least half of those injured experience an injury serious enough to miss work and to require extended medical treatment. Sadly, over 1,000 of these injuries result in death.

Most employees, despite knowing they are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, know very little about what they need to do if injured. Most likely, an injured employee will learn about time limits, claims procedures, and medical approvals at the worst time – when they are injured. Sometimes, getting information “second hand” from someone who “knows someone” who was injured, can lead to claim errors.

Adding to the challenge is the reality that when someone is hurt and in pain, it is difficult to research and get all of the facts to know they are following the correct procedures to protect their benefits and expedite their recovery.

Workers’ compensation rules and procedures also differ from state to state.  One huge area of confusion for workers is whether or not you are covered by workers’ compensation from:

  • The state you live in
  • The state you work in (most of the time)
  • The state where your employer’s home office is located
  • or the state where the injury occurred

This is a common area of concern in our region where many Illinois residents work in Indiana and Illinois residents work in Indiana. Even more frustrating for cross-state workers is the reality that the state that will have “jurisdiction” over their work-related injury is not always clear. Under some circumstances, and depending on the various state laws, an injured employee may be able to apply for benefits in the state they live in, the state they generally work in, the state where they were injured, and/or the state where their company is primarily located.

For Illinois and Indiana workers, there are also different rules and procedures to getting your necessary medical care approved. Since Midwest Interventional Spine Specialists, (M.I.S.S.) is located in Northwest Indiana, we treat many patients who either live or work in Illinois or Indiana. So, we understand how this can be a very confusing process at a time when an injured worker’s primary concern should be, what do they medically need to recover and get back to work.

For some patients, the process of determining what medical care is available to address their injury and any injury-related pain, can be very challenging. This is why it is very important that injured workers are treated by medical professionals who have extensive experience working with workers’ compensation cases. This helps to expedite approvals for necessary medical care. Regardless of where you live or work or how complicated your recovery may be, all workers deserve the appropriate care to achieve the fullest recovery possible.

If you have a work injury that’s causing you to suffer in pain and are either living or working in the Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana region, we invite you to contact our Workers’ compensation department to help you get treatment for your pain.

Call our office at (219) 836-7246  ext. 4.

________
Midwest Interventional Spine Specialists (M.I.S.S.) is a leader in introducing the most advanced techniques and state-of-the-art technology for the treatment and management of chronic pain. For 20 years, M.I.S.S. has been dedicated to serving the Northwest Indiana community with the most progressive and minimally invasive treatments for pain. All M.I.S.S. physicians are Board Certified Specialists. M.I.S.S. serves patients throughout Northwest Indiana and neighboring Illinois. To Schedule an Appointment – Call (219) 836-7246. Please review our website disclaimer.