As an Illinois workers compensation lawyer headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, I handle workers compensation cases throughout all of Illinois. One of the biggest advantages for injured workers under the Illinois work comp system, is the ability to choose your own doctor. However, I'm always amazed at how many injured workers are not aware of this peculiarity under Illinois Worker's Compensation laws. Simply put, the Illinois Workers Comp laws allow you to choose up to two doctors whom you can treat with. Additionally, if the doctors you choose refer you to another doctor, that referral does not count as one of your choices.

The reason that this is such a huge advantage is because the insurance companies try to direct you to their doctors. As an Illinois workers comp lawyer, I see this all the time. The insurance companies have a stable of doctors who do what they want. And of course all the insurance companies want is to pay out as little money as possible for that means more profit for them. So they save money in two ways.

First, the send you to a doctor who will treat you as little treatment as possible. Obviously medical treatment can be expensive, especially surgery. So they save money by sending you to a doctor in their back pocket who will be very reluctant to perform any type of expensive testing

Second, once your done with treatment, you are entitled to a lump sum disability settlement under the Illinois workers compensation laws. However, the amount of settlement is based in large part on your ultimate diagnosis and the amount and type of treatment you receive.  Thus, if you are treating with a very conservative doctor who has the insurance company's interest in mind, he's going to give you a much more conservative diagnosis and will not prescribe all the treatment you need. In turn, this will drastically lower the amount of your workers compensation settlement.

This is why I strongly encourage injured workers to contact an expert Illinois workers compensation attorney as soon as possible after the injury. We know the right doctors to direct you to who will not only fully treat your injuries, but will also be unafraid to testify against the insurance companies to fully explain to the judge the nature of your injury and the extent of the damage. If You were injured at work and have an Illinois workmen's comp claim, you have to understand that this is nothing more than a chess match to the insurance company. They are looking to make all the moves which will help minimize the value of your claim.

If you would like to further speak with an Illinois worker's compensation attorney, please feel free to call Josh Myers toll-free at 888-956-2487.  It's always free to discuss your case and there are no fees to retain a lawyer.  Rather, our fees will be limited to a small percentage of what we recover on your behalf.