Belleville Lawyers — Impairment Ratings
The 2011 amendment to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act now requires consideration of your American Medical Association (AMA) “Impairment Rating” for purposes of determining your level of permanent disability.
If you have suffered a work-related injury, it is crucial to make sure you and your attorney understand what an impairment rating is, what it is not and how to defend against an impairment rating obtained by the employer in an attempt to lower the value of your case. For that reason, it is crucial to have attorneys who know how to defend against the “Impairment Raters” hired by your employer. We know how to defend against this and we can help.
St. Clair County Workers’ Compensation Law Lawyer
At Glass & Korein, LLC, we focus on helping injured workers do what they cannot do for themselves. We strive to put the law on your side and level the playing field. From reducing the impact of an employer’s impairment rating to making sure you are compensated based on your actual disability, we will do everything in our power to make sure you get what you deserve.
You are not alone. Call 618-216-5218 or toll free 888-504-7059 for a free consultation with our Belleville impairment rating attorneys.
Recent Changes To Illinois Workers’ Compensation Laws
In 2011, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act changed. One of the most prominent changes involves impairment ratings. These ratings are determined by doctors, who are expected to use the American Medical Association’s guide to determine how impaired someone is once he or she has reached the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Your employer’s representatives will likely try to use the impairment rating to their advantage by offering disability benefits based solely on your rating. This is not how workers’ compensation should work — your benefits should be determined based on your actual disability, which takes into account how the impairment actually impacts your ability to work and do those things you enjoy away from work. For example, if impairment rating were the sole basis of considering “disability”, a carpenter who heavily relies on fine manual dexterity would have the identical impairment rating as an accountant for the identical injury and identical outcome from treatment to the dominant hand. Clearly, the disabling effect of that identical injury and outcome to the dominant hand of a carpenter is much greater and deserves significantly more compensation since the carpenter must be able to handle and manipulate tools for his or her craft to a greater degree than an accountant.
Protect Your Rights: Belleville Impairment Rating Attorney
Contact us for a free and confidential call or meeting regarding impairment ratings and any workers’ compensation matter you have. Weekend and evening appointments are available. We work for our clients on a contingency fee basis; you will not pay us unless and until we have collected what you’re entitled to under the Illinois laws written to protect you.