Personal Injury Lawyer
Years of Experience: More than 20 years
Illinois Registration Status: Active
Bar & Court Admissions: Illinois State, 1994
U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois, 1994
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2022
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois, 2023
Bloomington Workers' Compensation Lawyer
If you’ve been injured on the job in Bloomington or anywhere in Central Illinois, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, but getting them isn’t always easy. Between employer pushback, insurance red tape, and confusing claim forms, it’s easy to feel like the system is working against you.
At Strong Law Offices, our Bloomington workers’ compensation lawyers help injured workers get the medical care, wage benefits, and permanent disability they’re entitled to under Illinois law.
Whether you slipped and fell at a warehouse, suffered repetitive trauma from factory work, or were hurt in a vehicle crash while on the clock, our attorneys are here to protect your rights and fight for your future.
If you suffered an injury on the job and are struggling to get treatment or benefits, contact Strong Law Offices today. Call (309) 393-2928 now to schedule a consultation. You pay no fees unless we recover compensation for you.
How a Workplace Injury Can Affect Your Life
A workplace injury can change your routine in an instant. One day you’re performing your normal job duties. The next, you’re scheduling doctor’s appointments, missing work, and trying to understand what comes next.
For some workers, recovery takes a few weeks. Others require surgery, physical therapy, ongoing pain management, or permanent work restrictions that affect their ability to return to the same career. Even injuries that seem minor at first can become more serious over time, particularly if they involve your back, neck, shoulders, knees, or hands.
The financial impact can be just as overwhelming as the physical injury. Missing work often means missing income. Medical bills continue to arrive while everyday expenses like housing, groceries, and childcare don’t stop. If your injury prevents you from returning to your previous position, you may also face uncertainty about your long-term earning capacity.
Some workplace injuries happen suddenly, such as falls, equipment accidents, or motor vehicle collisions. Others develop gradually after months or years of repetitive lifting, bending, reaching, typing, or exposure to hazardous conditions. Occupational illnesses and repetitive trauma injuries can be just as disruptive as injuries caused by a single accident.
What Benefits Are Available Under Illinois Workers’ Compensation?
After a workplace injury, your primary focus should be on healing, not worrying about how you’ll pay for medical care or replace a lost paycheck. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides several types of benefits designed to help injured employees recover and return to work whenever possible.
Whether you were injured while working for a manufacturer, healthcare provider, school district, transportation company, agricultural operation, or another employer in Bloomington or McLean County, the benefits available under Illinois law generally depend on the nature of your injury and your ability to return to work.
Depending on your injury, you may qualify for one or more of the following benefits.
Medical Treatment
Workers’ compensation covers reasonable and necessary medical care related to your work injury. Depending on your condition, your benefits may include:
- Doctor visits
- Surgery
- Medications
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Diagnostic testing
Temporary Total Disability (TTD) Benefits
If your doctor determines that your injury prevents you from working while you recover, you may qualify for Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits.
TTD benefits replace a portion of your lost wages while you’re temporarily unable to perform your regular job duties.
Your eligibility for TTD benefits generally continues until your physician determines you can return to work or you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)—the point where your condition has improved as much as reasonably expected through medical treatment.
Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) Benefits
If you can return to work while recovering but earn less than you did before your injury, you may qualify for Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits.
TPD benefits help replace a portion of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you are able to earn while working under temporary restrictions.
Your eligibility generally continues until you return to your regular earning capacity or reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI).
Permanent Disability Benefits
Not every worker fully recovers after a serious workplace accident. Some injuries leave lasting physical limitations that affect a person’s ability to perform the same job—or any job at all.
Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for permanent disability benefits under Illinois law.
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits apply when you’ve recovered enough to return to work but continue to experience permanent physical impairment.
Permanent Total Disability (PTD) benefits may be available if your injuries prevent you from returning to gainful employment altogether.
Determining permanent disability benefits often requires reviewing medical records, work restrictions, earning capacity, and the long-term effects of your injury.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Some workplace injuries make it impossible to return to the same type of work you performed before the accident.
When that happens, Illinois workers’ compensation may provide vocational rehabilitation benefits, including retraining, job placement assistance, or other services designed to help injured workers return to the workforce.
Death Benefits
When a workplace accident results in a fatal injury, surviving family members may be eligible for workers’ compensation death benefits.
These benefits include financial support for eligible dependents as well as payment of certain funeral and burial expenses. While no amount of compensation can replace the loss of a loved one, these benefits can provide financial stability during an incredibly difficult time.
Find out what work injury benefits are available to you. Call (309) 393-2928 now to schedule a consultation.
What Should You Do After a Workplace Injury?
The moments immediately after your workplace accident were likely focused on your health. Now that you have received initial medical care and your condition is stabilized, there are additional steps that can help protect your workers’ compensation claim.
Notify your employer as soon as possible. Illinois law generally requires reporting within 45 days, but prompt notice can help avoid disputes.
Continue attending appointments and follow your doctor’s restrictions. Medical records often play an important role in supporting your claim.
Save medical records, employer paperwork, insurance communications, and other documents related to your injury.
If your benefits are delayed, denied, or disputed, speaking with an experienced work injury lawyer can help you understand the next steps.
Common Workplace Injuries and Occupational Illnesses
Every job presents different risks. While some employees suffer traumatic injuries during a single accident, others develop medical conditions after years of repetitive work or exposure to hazardous environments. Regardless of how an injury occurs, workers’ compensation benefits may be available if the condition is connected to your employment.
Strong Law Offices represents injured workers throughout Bloomington, McLean County, and Central Illinois across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, education, transportation, agriculture, construction, warehousing, and office settings.
Some of the on-the-job injuries and occupational illnesses we frequently see include:
- Slip, trip, and fall injuries
- Back, neck, and spinal injuries
- Crush injuries and amputations
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Repetitive trauma injuries
- Burns and electrical injuries
- Occupational illnesses
No matter how your injury occurred, documenting your condition and its connection to your work is an important part of a workers’ compensation claim.
Why Workers’ Compensation Claims Are Often Challenged
After a workplace injury, it’s common to assume your employer or their insurance company will do the right thing. But the truth is, workers’ compensation insurers are motivated by profits, not fairness.
Insurance companies closely review every claim and may question whether certain benefits should be paid. In many cases, disagreements arise over the medical evidence rather than whether an accident occurred.
Common reasons workers’ compensation claims are challenged include:
- The employer disputes how the injury occurred
- The insurance company argues the injury is unrelated to work
- A pre-existing condition is blamed for the employee’s symptoms
- Additional medical treatment is denied as unnecessary
- The insurer claims the employee can return to work despite ongoing restrictions
- The employee is alleged to have reached MMI earlier than their treating physician believes
Disputes may also arise over light-duty work, ongoing medical treatment, or whether permanent restrictions accurately reflect the impact of your injury. Insurance companies may request an IME or review medical records for inconsistencies. When disputes cannot be resolved, your claim may proceed before the IWCC, where medical records, employment documentation, and other evidence can become important.
A dispute does not necessarily mean your claim lacks merit. Additional medical evidence or legal proceedings may help resolve disagreements over benefits.
Call (309) 393-2928 if your work injury claim is disputed.
Can You Have Both a Workers’ Compensation Claim and a Personal Injury Claim?
If a third party caused or contributed to your workplace injury, you may be able to pursue both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate third-party personal injury claim.
Most workplace injuries are handled through the Illinois workers’ compensation system. However, some accidents involve another person or company whose negligence contributed to the injury. In those situations, you may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate personal injury claim.
Examples may include:
- A driver who causes a crash while you are working
- A subcontractor whose negligence contributes to a construction accident
- A manufacturer that produced defective equipment or machinery
- A property owner who failed to correct dangerous conditions
A successful third-party personal injury claim may also provide compensation that workers’ compensation does not, including damages for pain and suffering and the full amount of lost wages in appropriate circumstances. Because these claims involve different legal standards and deadlines, identifying all potential sources of recovery early can make a meaningful difference.
How We Handle Your Workers’ Compensation Case
Workers’ compensation claims require strong evidence, attention to detail, and a proactive legal strategy. Our Bloomington workers’ comp lawyers follow a proven approach:
Step 1: Initial Case Review
We start with a free consultation to evaluate your claim and identify any red flags. If your claim has been denied or delayed, we’ll review the reasons given and determine the best way to address them.
Step 2: Documentation and Filing
We help you gather and organize medical records, wage history, witness statements, accident reports, and other evidence related to your claim. We’ll make sure all required forms are completed and submitted on time to avoid delays or technical denials.
Step 3: Medical Treatment and Benefit Disputes
We help address disputes involving medical treatment, work restrictions, wage benefits, and other issues that may arise while your claim is pending.
Step 4: Hearings and Appeals
If your claim is disputed, we represent you at arbitration before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. We can also appeal unfavorable decisions and present your case to the full Commission or Illinois courts if needed.
Step 5: Settlement or Trial
Many workers’ compensation claims are resolved through settlement. We evaluate settlement offers, explain how they may affect your future rights, and pursue the compensation available under Illinois law. If a fair resolution cannot be reached, we continue pursuing your claim through the hearing process.
What Makes Strong Law Offices Different?
At Strong Law Offices, workers’ compensation isn’t a side practice. It’s a core part of what we do. We’ve represented injured workers across Central and Northern Illinois for more than 25 years.
When you hire us, you get:
- A local Bloomington law firm, not a call center
- Personalized attention from experienced attorneys
- Decades of experience with IWCC procedures and arbitrators
- Focused representation aimed at securing the benefits available under Illinois law
- No attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you
We understand how workers’ compensation claims are handled by employers, insurers, and medical providers, and we know how to respond when disputes arise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Workers’ Compensation in Bloomington
What Doesn’t Illinois Workers’ Compensation Cover?
Although Illinois workers’ compensation covers many work-related injuries and occupational illnesses, not every situation qualifies for benefits. Claims may be denied if an injury occurred while an employee was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, intentionally caused the injury, or was engaged in conduct completely unrelated to their job duties. Questions may also arise when an employer argues that the injured worker was an independent contractor rather than an employee or that the injury occurred while commuting instead of performing work-related responsibilities. Because every situation is different, it’s important to have the facts reviewed before assuming you aren’t eligible for benefits.
How long do I have to file a workers’ comp claim in Illinois?
You must notify your employer within 45 days of the injury. You typically have 3 years from the date of the injury (or last payment of benefits) to file a formal claim with the IWCC—but don’t wait. Acting promptly can help preserve important evidence and avoid unnecessary delays.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Yes. Illinois workers generally have the right to choose their own treating physician. However, certain rules and limitations may apply depending on the circumstances of the claim.
What happens if my workers’ compensation claim is denied?
A denied claim does not necessarily mean you are no longer eligible for benefits. Insurance companies deny claims for many reasons, including disputes about how an injury occurred, whether medical treatment is necessary, or whether an injury is related to work. Depending on the circumstances, additional medical evidence, witness testimony, or proceedings before the IWCC may help resolve the dispute.
Local Representation. Real Results.
Bloomington workers deserve more than a cookie-cutter legal process. Whether your injury happened at Rivian, State Farm, a local factory, or a construction site downtown, Strong Law Offices knows how to get results in McLean County.
We’re not just familiar with the law. We’re familiar with Bloomington itself. We know the local doctors, the IWCC arbitrators assigned to McLean County, and the tactics insurance companies use to delay or reduce claims. That insight gives our clients an edge, and we don’t waste it.
We’ve recovered millions for injured workers across Central Illinois, and we’re ready to help you too.
Contact a Bloomington Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Today
A workplace injury can affect your health, your finances, and your family’s future. Whether you’re recovering from a recent accident, dealing with a repetitive stress injury, or facing delays in your workers’ compensation claim, you don’t have to navigate the process alone.
Strong Law Offices represents injured workers throughout Bloomington, McLean County, and communities across Central Illinois. Our attorneys help injured workers understand their rights, address obstacles during the claims process, and pursue the benefits available under Illinois law.
If you’ve been injured on the job or your workers’ compensation claim has been denied or delayed, call Strong Law Offices at (309) 393-2928 to schedule your free consultation. There are no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.