Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation For A Chronic Illness?

Workplace injuries usually refer to simple ones such as a broken leg for slip and fall accidents. However, many employees develop chronic conditions or illnesses over time as a result of their work conditions or due to activities that are a part of their job. If this has happened to you, you should generally be eligible for worker’s compensation. Unfortunately, getting worker’s compensation for chronic illness is far from a straightforward process.

That’s because proving that the medical condition was a direct result of the work rather than your everyday life outside it can be challenging to prove. Experienced worker’s compensation lawyers will tell you that you can receive compensation for occupational conditions as per the Illinois Worker’s Occupational Diseases Act.

What Are Occupational Diseases/Conditions?

Persistent exposure to harmful substances in the workplace can lead to chronic conditions in the future. This includes black lung disease, carpal tunnel, skin disease, asthma, etc. If you are suffering from a chronic occupational disease, you need to show medical evidence of your condition to be eligible for worker’s compensation.

The condition may or may not qualify as an occupational disease depending on the nature of the job that allegedly caused it. For example, if a lab technician contracts tuberculosis by handling a broken specimen tube, he is eligible for compensation. However, if say a data entry worker contracts the same disease from a colleague and suffers from a chronic cough because of it, he isn’t eligible.

That’s because, unlike the lab technician, there is no direct link of the disease to the data entry worker’s job. He could have caught it outside work.

If you suffer from a chronic condition as a direct result of your work, the first thing you should do is seek medical aid and get it documented. After that, get in touch with worker’s compensation lawyers who can fight for your claim if it is rejected by your employer.

At I Am Calling My Lawyer, we are a team of dedicated attorneys who are committed to ensuring clients get the justice and compensation they deserve. With over five decades of combined legal experience and expertise in worker’s compensation claims, we know how to win cases. Get in touch with us at our firm in Schaumburg, IL for a consultation today! We are not afraid to stand up for your rights especially if you cannot do so yourself and we only get paid if you get paid.