By Matthew C. Jones, Chicago workers’ compensation attorney at McHargue & Jones. Quick answer: In many Illinois workers’ compensation cases, you may be able to record an IME if it is done properly, with notice, and without interfering with the examination. You should not secretly record the IME doctor. You also should not assume that…
Quick answer: In an Illinois workers’ compensation case, the insurance company can usually get medical records that are relevant to your work injury. That may include records about the injured body part, prior treatment, diagnostic tests, surgeries, prescriptions, restrictions, and conditions that could relate to the claim. But that does not mean the insurance company…
Quick answer: McHargue & Jones won a Section 19(b) Illinois workers’ compensation trial against Procter & Gamble, Greater Chicago Fulfillment Center, after workers’ comp refused to approve arthroscopic right knee surgery for a warehouse automation technician. The arbitrator found that the worker’s right knee condition was causally related to the work accident and ordered Procter…
By Workers’ Compensation Attorney, Matthew C. Jones Quick answer: In most Illinois workers’ compensation cases, you are not required by law to give a recorded statement to the workers’ comp insurance adjuster. You should usually politely decline until you speak with a lawyer. That does not mean you should hide the injury, fail to report…
By Workers’ Compensation Lawyer, Matthew C. Jones Quick answer: In most Illinois workers’ compensation cases, you do not have to talk to a workers’ comp nurse case manager, let the nurse come into your doctor appointment, or let the nurse speak privately with your doctor. A nurse case manager can sometimes help coordinate medical care,…
A workplace amputation is not just another workers’ compensation claim. In Illinois, the law provides specific statutory benefits for the loss of a finger, hand, arm, toe, foot, leg, eye, or other scheduled body part. But the scheduled-loss payment is often only one part of the case. A serious amputation claim may also involve emergency…
By Matthew C. Jones, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney If an insurance adjuster tells you that your Illinois workers’ compensation case is only worth a small percentage because of an “impairment rating,” be careful. An impairment rating is not the same thing as permanent partial disability, it is not the same thing as the percentage loss…
If your workers’ comp doctor sends you back to work but you are still in pain, the right answer depends on which doctor released you, whether the note says full duty or light duty, and whether you can safely perform your actual job. Do not just disappear or stop showing up without communicating. Get the…
Updated June 7, 2026 by Matthew Jones, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyer McHargue & Jones, LLC Quick answer: The insurance company’s IME doctor does not automatically win. An Illinois workers’ comp arbitrator can believe your treating doctor over the IME doctor, especially when the treating doctor’s opinion is better supported by your medical records, diagnostic tests,…
Case study quick answer: A packing-plant worker at an Illinois meat processing and packing facility was denied cervical spine surgery and TTD benefits after the insurance company relied on an IME. McHargue & Jones took the treating surgeon’s deposition, cross-examined the IME doctor, tried the case before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, and won…
By Matthew Jones, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyer McHargue & Jones, LLC Updated April 2026 Quick answer: Probably not. Most Illinois workers’ comp cases do not end in a full trial. In my practice, roughly 95–98% of cases do not go all the way to trial. But many disputed cases still require a request for hearing,…
By Matthew Jones, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyer McHargue & Jones, LLC Last reviewed: April 2026 Quick answer: In Illinois workers’ compensation, a “trial” usually means an arbitration hearing before an arbitrator at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, or IWCC. There is no jury. The arbitrator reviews testimony, medical records, doctor depositions, IME reports, bills, wage…
By Matthew C. Jones Yes, you may be able to get a loan or cash advance on a workers’ compensation case in Illinois—but you need to be very careful. These loans can help keep you afloat when the insurance company cuts off your checks, denies surgery, or tries to starve you into a cheap settlement….
By Matthew C. Jones Usually, yes. Permanent work restrictions often increase the value of an Illinois workers’ compensation case because they can show lasting functional loss, reduced earning capacity, and an inability to return to the same work. But restrictions do not automatically make every case worth dramatically more. What matters is whether the restrictions…
By Matthew C. Jones If your doctor gives you temporary work restrictions and your employer says there is no light duty available, the first question is usually the right one: do I still get paid?In most Illinois workers’ compensation cases, the answer is yes. If you are still treating, cannot return to your regular job,…
