A work injury becomes a serious problem when the doctor is not being paid, the weekly check does not arrive, or the company says you can return before you are ready. Those are not minor paperwork issues. They affect your health, your paycheck, and the job you are trying to get back to.
McHargue & Jones has represented injured workers since 2000. From our Chicago Loop office, we handle Illinois workers’ compensation claims for construction workers, nurses, warehouse and factory employees, drivers, airline and airport employees, union members, and others hurt doing their jobs.
Some people call us the week of the accident. Others call months later, after an accepted claim suddenly goes wrong. We can step in at either point—and we are prepared to take a disputed claim to hearing when the insurance company will not do what the law requires.
Chicago Loop office
Two firm attorneys selected as Leading Lawyers since 2022
Contested hearings and appeals
No fee unless we recover
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A note from Matthew C. Jones
In 20 years of practicing law, I have learned that injured workers usually do not need more legal jargon. They need a straight answer to the problem in front of them. Can the carrier stop checks because of an IME? Does the worker have to accept a light-duty job that violates the doctor’s restrictions? What will it take to get surgery approved?
That is where we start. We listen to what happened, look at what the doctors and insurance company have put in writing, and tell the worker what can be done next. If the case needs to be tried, we prepare it to be tried.
Peer recognition: Leading Lawyers has selected both James P. McHargue and Matthew C. Jones as Leading Lawyers in workers’ compensation every year since 2022. Matthew was previously selected as an Emerging Lawyer for multiple years. Leading Lawyers states that its selections are based on peer recommendations and cannot be purchased. Read the selection methodology.
An accepted workers’ comp claim can still go bad
Many disputes do not begin with a formal denial. The carrier may pay for the first clinic visit and issue checks for a few weeks. Then the MRI is delayed. A surgery request goes unanswered. The worker is sent to an insurance medical examination. Soon after that appointment, the adjuster says treatment is over or the worker can return to full duty.
By then, the insurer may be relying on a different accident history, a preexisting condition, a missed appointment, or one sentence in a medical record. Waiting to see whether the problem fixes itself can make the claim harder.
When we take over a case, we look at the accident report, the first medical history, the work the person was actually doing, wage records, off-work slips, scans, the treating doctor’s recommendations, and the reason the insurer gave for saying no. Then we deal with the problem that is holding up the claim.
When treatment is stalled
We address authorization delays, utilization review, denied surgery, doctor-choice questions, unpaid medical bills, and arguments that the condition is not related to work.
When the checks or job are at risk
We check the wage calculation, work-status notes, light-duty offer, and the reason TTD or TPD was reduced or stopped. Permanent restrictions may also raise wage-differential or vocational issues.
When the insurance company will not change its position
A contested case may require testimony from the treating doctor, cross-examination of the IME physician, witness preparation, vocational evidence, or a request for an immediate hearing under Section 19(b). Our job is to be ready for that point, not to keep sending the same unanswered letter.
Many cases resolve without a full hearing. Some do not. Our Illinois workers’ comp hearing and trial guide explains what happens when a dispute must be decided by an arbitrator.
See how we have handled disputed Illinois claims
Before you hire a law firm, you should be able to see whether its lawyers have handled the kind of fight you are facing. These four cases involved denied surgery, stopped benefits, unfavorable IME opinions, preexisting-condition arguments, or a dispute over whether the accident was work-related.
Warehouse worker won approval for a C4-C7 fusion
A falling pallet injured the worker’s arm and neck. The defense blamed cervical stenosis and treated the problem as temporary. The arbitrator ordered the fusion, medical benefits, and more than 162 weeks of TTD. The employer did not seek review.
Neck-surgery award held up through appellate review
After the carrier relied on an IME to deny treatment and TTD, we took the treating surgeon’s deposition and cross-examined the IME doctor. The worker won at arbitration, and the central award survived Commission, circuit-court, and appellate-court review.
Hip replacement and back pay ordered in Joliet
The worker could not wait until the end of the case for treatment and income. After an immediate contested hearing, the arbitrator ordered approval of the hip replacement and disputed back-pay benefits.
State employee won after a hallway fall was called personal
The State argued that the employee’s fall did not arise from the work. The hearing focused on the hallway itself, witness testimony, and the defense’s competing explanation for why the employee fell.
Read more of our Illinois workers’ compensation trial results.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every claim is different and depends on its facts, medical evidence, wages, restrictions, testimony, procedural history, and applicable law.
We represent the people who keep Chicago working
A shoulder injury means something different to a carpenter than it does to an office worker. A nurse may be hurt while moving a patient. A delivery driver may be unable to climb in and out of a truck. A warehouse employee may be offered “light duty” that is not light at all. To handle the claim well, the lawyer has to understand the job as it was actually performed.
Construction and union trades
We represent construction workers and union members hurt in falls, lifting accidents, equipment incidents, and repetitive work.
Warehouse, factory, and delivery work
Our cases include pallet and forklift accidents, production-line injuries, loading work, repeated lifting, and route injuries involving warehouse employees and delivery drivers.
Nurses and healthcare workers
Patient handling, slips, assaults, and long shifts can lead to serious back, shoulder, knee, and head injuries. Learn about claims for nurses and healthcare employees.
Airline and airport employees
Ramp work, baggage handling, catering, cabin service, maintenance, and other airport jobs present their own medical and employment issues. See our page for airline and airport workers.
Those are examples, not a complete list. We represent injured employees in many occupations across Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois. You can also visit our workers we represent page.
What Illinois workers’ compensation is supposed to pay
Workers’ compensation is not a pain-and-suffering lawsuit against your employer. It is a benefit system. If the claim is covered, the benefits generally fall into these categories:
Medical care
The carrier is responsible for reasonable and necessary treatment related to the work injury. That can include doctor visits, testing, therapy, medication, injections, surgery, and appropriate future care.
Checks while you recover
Temporary total disability, or TTD, may be due when the injury keeps you from working. Temporary partial disability, or TPD, may apply when you return to suitable work at lower earnings.
Compensation for a permanent injury
After treatment ends, the case may involve PPD, disfigurement, a wage differential, or permanent total disability. The correct category depends on the medical restrictions and the effect on the worker’s earning ability.
Help when the old job is no longer possible
Maintenance and vocational rehabilitation may be available when permanent restrictions prevent a return to the former job. Qualifying family members may receive benefits after a work-related death.
For more detail, use our Illinois workers’ compensation benefits guide. We also explain how workers’ comp pay is calculated and how the Illinois workers’ comp settlement chart is used.
When is it time to call a workers’ compensation lawyer?
Not every small injury requires a lawyer. If the employer reports the accident, the carrier pays for appropriate treatment, every check arrives correctly, and you make a full recovery, you may never have a serious dispute. It is time to get advice when any of the following happens:
- the employer says the accident did not happen or was not work-related;
- the company clinic releases you even though you are still having problems;
- an IME doctor says the condition is preexisting, you have reached maximum medical improvement, or you can return to full duty;
- the insurer will not approve therapy, injections, surgery, or another treatment ordered by your doctor;
- your TTD checks are late, calculated incorrectly, or stopped;
- the offered light-duty work does not follow your restrictions;
- you have permanent restrictions and cannot return to your regular job;
- the insurer wants to settle before you understand future medical care or lost earning ability; or
- a driver, contractor, property owner, equipment company, or other third party may also be responsible.
If the accident was recent, read what to do after a work injury in Illinois. Illinois law generally requires notice to the employer within 45 days, and a separate deadline usually applies to filing the claim. Repetitive-trauma and occupational-disease cases can raise harder questions about when the legal clock began, so it is safer to ask than to guess.
Chicago workers’ comp lawyers serving all of Illinois
Our office is at 105 W Madison Street in the Chicago Loop, near Daley Center. We represent people who live or work in Chicago, throughout Cook County, and in communities across Illinois.
Location matters, but experience with the Illinois system matters more. The lawyer should understand the doctors, wage records, job demands, Commission procedure, and the defense being used in your particular claim. The lawyer should also return your calls and be willing to take the case to hearing when that is what the evidence calls for.
Meet the McHargue & Jones legal team or review our workers’ compensation settlements and results.
What happens when you call us?
The first call is a conversation. You do not need to know the name of every benefit or have a perfect set of records before calling.
- Tell us what happened in your own words. We will ask about the accident, the job you were doing, the injuries, the doctors you have seen, and what the insurance company has done so far.
- We focus first on anything urgent. A missed reporting deadline, a work release, stopped checks, an upcoming IME, or a denied surgery may need attention before the rest of the case.
- We tell you what we think the next step is. Sometimes the answer is straightforward. Other cases need records, medical testimony, an immediate hearing, or longer trial preparation.
- You decide whether you want to hire us. The consultation is free, and we explain the fee agreement before representation begins.
Tell us what happened at work—and what has happened since
If the claim was denied, treatment is stalled, the checks stopped, or an IME changed the direction of the case, call McHargue & Jones. We will listen, review the situation, and give you a straight answer about the next step.
Chicago workers’ compensation lawyer FAQ
Do I need a lawyer if workers’ comp accepted my claim?
Not always. Some accepted claims move from treatment through a full return to work without a serious dispute. It is worth getting advice if treatment slows down, checks are wrong or late, an IME is scheduled, the doctor discusses permanent restrictions, or the insurer wants to close the case.
How much does a workers’ compensation lawyer cost in Illinois?
Illinois workers’ compensation attorney fees are generally contingent and limited by law. Most injured workers do not pay an upfront attorney fee. Read our guide to workers’ comp lawyer fees in Illinois.
Can the company clinic send me back to work even if I am still hurt?
A company clinic can issue a work release, but that does not automatically make the release medically or legally correct. What to do next depends on the doctor-choice rules, any provider network, the injuries that were reported, and whether another treating doctor has given valid restrictions. Do not ignore the release or simply stop reporting to work without getting advice.
Does the IME doctor decide my workers’ comp case?
No. An IME opinion may lead the insurer to deny treatment or stop voluntary benefits, but the IME doctor does not decide the legal case. At a hearing, the arbitrator can weigh that opinion against the treating records, diagnostic tests, testimony, work history, and other evidence.
Can a hearing make workers’ comp approve surgery or restart checks?
In the right case, a Section 19(b) petition can ask for an immediate hearing on disputed medical care, TTD, back pay, causation, and related issues while the claim remains pending. Whether that is available and advisable depends on the evidence and the status of the case.
Can McHargue & Jones represent me if I live outside Chicago?
Yes. We represent injured workers throughout Cook County and across Illinois. Where the accident happened, where the employment was based, where the worker lives, and where the case is assigned can matter, but you do not need to live in the City of Chicago to call our Chicago office.
Can I change workers’ compensation lawyers?
Usually. If you are concerned about communication, preparation, or the direction of the claim, you can seek a second opinion. Illinois generally does not require a worker to pay two full attorney fees simply because counsel changes. Learn more about changing workers’ compensation lawyers.
This page provides general information, not legal advice. Every claim depends on its own facts, medical evidence, employment relationship, wages, deadlines, and procedural history.
Telephone No.3127390000