Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Effingham, IL

Our law firm has represented hundreds of workers’ compensation clients from Effingham and surrounding towns in Effingham County over the years.  Chances are one of us has represented one of your relatives, neighbors, or friends in a workers’ comp or personal injury claim. Steve Hanagan and Brian McGovern have over 50 years of experience handling workers’ compensation, injury, disability, and death claims for the people of Effingham and the surrounding area.  We have handled thousands of workers’ compensation claims throughout southern and central Illinois ranging from disputed minor injury claims to those worth in excess of a million dollars.

We handle cases against major employers in Effingham, and the surrounding area including:

• Quad Graphics
• Sherwin-Williams
• Patterson Companies
• Stevens Industries
• FedEx
• Pepsi Mid America
• Pinnacle Foods
• United Graphics
• Effingham Equity

We Have a Reputation You Can Trust

Hanagan & McGovern is a 3^rd generation law firm representing injured workers’ and their families in workers’ compensation and personal injury claims all the way back to the 1940’s.

Steve and Brian are both published authors in the field of Illinois Workers’ Compensation law, writing legal articles to help train other attorneys that want to handle workers’ compensation claims.  Because of their experience with workers’ compensation claims, both Steve and Brian have served as experts in workers compensation disputes in civil courts cases involving work comp matters.  Both Steve and Brian have been hired to represent many people who also work in the personal injury and workers’ compensation claims field, including doctors, lawyers, insurance adjusters, nurse case managers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, hospital business office workers, insurance claims attorneys, and private investigators, all of whom also work around the Effingham area. They knew where to get the best lawyer for workers’ compensation claims.  When people who work in the workers’ compensation system hire us to represent their own personal interests, you know that you can trust us with your workers comp claim as well.  See what our recent clients have to say about us.

We Handle All Workers’ Compensation Cases Both Big and Small in the Effingham area

Whether you have a large case or a small case, we are going to work just as hard for you. We care about the needs of our clients and their families. Being injured and out of work is very stressful on a family. Workers’ compensation claims can be overwhelming at times. Having assisted thousands of injury victims over the years, we know this all too well. We offer patience and understanding during these trying times and work to relieve  the burdens associated with pursuing a work comp claim. We provide results for you as quickly as we can.  Whether you have a serious disabling injury or a minor injury, we are happy to assist you with your claim.

Insurance Companies Are Not Your Friends

One thing we have learned over the years is that most injured employees think their employer, or its workers’ compensation insurance company, will treat them fairly when they were hurt on the job. Unfortunately, workers’ comp insurance companies don’t always do that. They are always looking for ways to save money, even if it means pulling the rug out from under you.  Here are just a few examples of the tricks an adjuster can pull on to stop your benefits and mess up your workers’ compensation claim:

• The insurance company contacts your doctor behind your back to get you released to return to work. Then you find out you have been fired. See more about this.
• One of the most common things workers’ compensation adjusters use is to have you examined by a doctor they have chosen. Sometimes these go well but more often the company doctor disagrees with the care and treatment plan your doctor thinks is necessary.  That results in you losing benefits.
• All too common these days the insurance adjuster or company doctor says that your medical problem is due to a pre-existing condition and they deny your claim entirely.
• The company tries to talk you into retiring when it becomes obvious you won’t be able to return to work after a workers’ compensation injury. See why this is really a bad idea.
• The insurance company tells you your settlement is only worth so much money because a doctor has rated your disability using the AMA guidelines. See why this has little to do with what you are entitled to.

There are a million tricks in the adjuster’s playbook, all designed to minimize what the insurance company has to pay you.  They don’t care about you.  They don’t care about your needs. They don’t care about your family.  They are looking to slam the door shut on your claim so they can save money.

Injured Workers are Entitled to Workers’ Compensation Benefits

There are normally three or four benefits an injured worker is entitled to under the workers’ compensation act:  In more serious injury cases there are several other benefits that workers’ comp may be required to pay.  We have written a book on this, “Illinois Workers’ Compensation Explained,” and provide a link to the book chapter for each of the benefits mention below.

1.  Payment of Medical Expenses [Chapter 6]

Workers’ Comp is required to pay all of the medical expenses that are reasonably necessary to treat your medical condition.  This can, but does not always, include the travel expenses you have getting to and from your medical appointments.  It can also include expenses for such things as prosthetics, wheelchair ramps, wheelchair vans and home modifications all the way up to a new home if the circumstances require it.

2.  Payment of Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits while off work due to the injury [Chapter 7 – see TTD]

If you are unable to work because of your injury, workers’ comp is required to pay you Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits equal to 2/3^rd of your usual earnings while you are off work.

3.  Payment of Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits when working light duty with lower earnings  [Chapter 7 – see TPD]

If you are released to return to light duty work with restrictions because of your injury, workers’ comp is required to pay you Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits equal to 2/3^rd of the difference between your usual earnings and what you  are earning while working with restrictions.

4.  Payment of a settlement or award for Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits or disfigurement for scaring [Chapter 8 – See PPD and Disfigurement]

If a work injury leaves you with some permanent impairment, disability, or disfigurement, the workers’ compensation insurance carrier is required to pay you permanent partial disability benefits (PPD) for your condition.

In certain circumstances, there may be other benefits that are owed for, or along with, permanent benefits that include payment for vocational retraining, paid job searches, long-term loss of earnings benefits, an permanent total disability.  Those, too, are covered in Chapter 8 of our book.

No matter what your situation, we would be happy to speak with you and advise you on your claim.  Call us today to discuss your claim or set up an appointment to discuss your claim for free. We only charge a fee when we recover for you so it costs you nothing to contact us.  If you can’t call now, feel free to fill out our contact form and we’ll be back in touch with you as soon as possible about your workers’ compensation claim.

If you are unable to make it to our offices, we would be happy to arrange some time to meet you in Effingham or one of our other meeting locations to discuss your claim.