Injured workers and their families may wonder what the different types of workers’ compensation benefits are that they may be eligible for. Because of the value of these benefits to struggling workers and families it is important for them to be familiar with.
Workers’ compensation benefits
Workers’ compensation benefits are intended to help with a range of concerns injured workers may have from physical injuries to medical and financial concerns including:
- Medical care – medical care benefits includes medical care reasonably required to treat the employee’s injuries.
- Wage benefits – wage benefits may available for injured workers depending on their level of disability including temporary total disability, temporary partial disability, permanent partial disability and permanent total disability.
- Death benefits – in addition, death benefits may be available to surviving family members of workers killed in a fatal workplace accident to help them with the losses they have suffered.
Applying for benefits
When applying for workers’ compensation benefits, injured workers have 45 days to report their injury suffered to their employer to potentially receive the maximum amount of benefits. Illinois workers injured then have 3 years to make a claim for workers’ compensation benefits to Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Workers’ compensation benefits are available to help struggling workers and their families through the challenges they face when they are injured at work. Being injured at work can leave injured workers feeling vulnerable and workers’ compensation benefits may be able to help. For that reason, injured workers should be familiar with the benefits available and how they can obtain them.
