Let’s say your employer is based in State A, you were hired in State B, and you suffered a work injury in State C. You’re probably confused about where to file a workers’ compensation claim.
Our advice: file in Illinois if you can.
Illinois has worker-friendly laws when it comes to workers’ compensation. And you can generally file your claim here even if you haven’t been to Illinois in years. If your only connection to Illinois is that you were hired here when you first joined the company, even if it was 15 years ago, you can file your workers’ compensation claim here.
If you weren’t aware of this rule, and you filed a claim in another state, it may not be too late. If Illinois law entitles you to more benefits than you got in the other state, you can file here as well. Even if you closed your case in that other state, and even if you signed something saying that you couldn’t seek additional benefits, you can still file here. Only the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission can close out your Illinois work injury claim.
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Tags: workers' compensation