What is Maximum Medical Improvement?

Maximum Medical Improvement & Workers' Compensation

At Strong Law Offices, we represent employees in workers' comp claims for workplace injuries and occupational diseases. We never represent insurance companies or large corporations. We dedicate all our resources to protecting the rights of injured people and collecting the workers' comp benefits employees are entitled to under Illinois law.

In Illinois, after a workplace injury, the employee is entitled to medical treatment and wage loss benefits during the period of medical recovery, if he or she is unable to work because of the injury. When the period of medical recovery ends, the employee may be entitled to additional workers' compensation benefits, depending on certain factors.

​Determining Work Restrictions at Maximum Medical Improvement

When an employee reaches MMI, functional capacity testing will often be performed to determine whether the employee has permanent work restrictions. Functional capacity testing is usually a two-day evaluation of the employee's ability to perform certain work activities, performed by a physical therapist. If the employee has permanent limitations related to the work injury, the employer has to decide whether they can accommodate the restrictions.

​Types of Workers' Comp Benefits Available After Reaching Maximum Medical Improvement

If the employee is unable to perform any type of work, he or she may be entitled to permanent total disability benefits. If the employee can work, but can't return to his or her job at the time of the injury, there are several possibilities:

• Return to a lower-paying job and collect wage differential benefits (for the difference between the wage at the time of the workplace injury and the wage the employee is able to earn after the injury)
• Request vocational training so the employer and insurer will pay wage loss and the expenses of going back to school to work in another field
• Request permanent partial disability benefits (PPD) based on the percentage of disability the employee has because of the work-related injury

Free Consultation With a Workers' Comp Attorney

For more information about workers' compensation benefits after maximum medical improvement, contact Strong Law Offices to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney. We have offices in Peoria, Springfield, Bloomington, and Chicago to serve you.

Check other workers' compensation resources from our blog:

• How to report a work injury and how much time you have
• Things to know about the employer retaliation lawsuit
• What if my workers' comp claim is denied
• Benefits of hiring a workers' comp lawyer
• Am I eligible for workers' compensation?
• Workers' comp settlement agreement
• What happens after MMI in workers' comp?