Healthcare workers face some of the toughest injury risks in Illinois workers’ compensation: patient handling, short staffing, workplace violence, unsafe property conditions, infectious exposure, and travel between patient locations. Attorney Matthew C. Jones has 20 years of experience practicing law and helping injured workers navigate difficult Illinois comp claims.
Home health & hospice workers
No fee unless we win
Se habla español
Get Help With the Healthcare Injury Issue You Have Right Now
Start with the problem that fits your case.
- I was hurt lifting or transferring a patient
- I was attacked by a patient or visitor
- I was hurt working in home health care
- I was in a car accident between visits
- I fell or was hurt on someone else’s property
- My claim, treatment, or checks are being denied
Cook County
All of Illinois
Healthcare workers we represent
We represent healthcare workers in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, rehab facilities, psychiatric facilities, hospice settings, and private homes. If your job involves caring for patients and you were injured because of that work, you may have rights under the Illinois workers’ compensation system.
Nurses, CNAs & patient care staff
RNs, LPNs, CNAs, patient care techs, ER staff, ICU staff, OR staff, psychiatric staff, and hospital employees injured lifting, transferring, catching, restraining, or assisting patients.
Home health & hospice workers
Home health aides, caregivers, hospice workers, visiting nurses, therapists, and healthcare employees hurt inside client homes, on unsafe property, or while traveling between visits.
Healthcare support workers
Medical assistants, phlebotomists, lab workers, imaging techs, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, transport workers, housekeeping, and support staff.
Common healthcare worker injury claims we handle
Healthcare injuries are often disputed because the worker may have no witness, a prior back or shoulder problem, a difficult patient, a changing work location, or an employer that claims the injury was just “part of the job.” These are exactly the kinds of issues that need careful documentation and legal strategy.
Patient lifting, transfers & falls
Back, neck, shoulder, knee, hip, wrist, and hand injuries often happen while lifting, transferring, repositioning, catching, or restraining a patient.
Patient assaults & workplace violence
Nurses and healthcare workers may be covered when injured by combative patients, confused patients, intoxicated visitors, family members, or unsafe workplace conditions.
Slip, trip & fall injuries
Healthcare workers can fall on wet floors, icy sidewalks, unsafe stairs, cluttered rooms, poor lighting, broken handrails, or hazards inside a client’s home.
Dog bites & animal attacks
Home health workers and visiting nurses may be bitten, knocked down, scratched, or injured by dogs or other animals while entering or working inside a patient’s home.
Car accidents between patients
Home health aides, nurses, therapists, and caregivers may have workers’ comp rights if they are hurt while driving between client homes or performing work-related travel.
Needlesticks, exposure & illness
Healthcare workers may suffer needlestick injuries, bloodborne exposure, chemical exposure, infectious disease exposure, respiratory problems, or reactions to cleaning products and unsafe environments.
What workers’ comp benefits can injured nurses and healthcare workers receive?
If your injury arose out of your healthcare job, Illinois workers’ compensation may provide benefits even if your employer did nothing wrong. The real fight is often whether the insurance company pays the correct benefits, approves the correct treatment, and fairly values the permanent impact of the injury.
Medical treatment
Doctor visits, therapy, imaging, injections, medication, surgery, referrals, and related care for the work injury.
TTD wage checks
Weekly benefits when your doctor takes you off work and you cannot safely perform your regular healthcare job.
Light duty issues
Disputes over whether restricted work is safe, available, within your restrictions, or being used to cut off benefits.
Settlement value
Compensation for permanent impairment, surgery, restrictions, wage loss, or inability to return to the same type of work.
Treatment & restrictions
Home health care workers may be covered by Illinois workers’ compensation
Home health care workers have unique workers’ comp issues because the workplace may be a client’s house, apartment, driveway, porch, bathroom, vehicle, or hallway. If you are hurt while caring for a patient, entering or leaving a scheduled visit, helping with transfers, dealing with an unsafe home, or driving between client locations, you may have a covered workers’ compensation claim.
These claims can involve lifting injuries, slip and falls, dog bites, patient assaults, unsafe stairs, cluttered rooms, icy driveways, or car crashes between patient visits. They may also involve a separate personal injury claim if someone other than your employer caused the injury.
Read our full guide to home health care workers’ comp in Illinois.
Hurt at a client’s home?
Save the address, take photos if possible, report the injury in writing, and get medical care with a clear work-related history.
When a third-party claim may also exist
A healthcare worker may have more than a workers’ comp claim if someone other than the employer caused the injury. This can happen after a car crash, dog bite, unsafe property fall, defective equipment injury, or negligent security incident.
When travel between locations matters
Healthcare workers who travel between homes, facilities, offices, or patient appointments may have additional workers’ comp arguments if they are injured on the road while doing job-related travel.
Why healthcare workers’ comp claims get denied or delayed
Insurance companies often look for ways to minimize healthcare worker claims. They may argue the injury was pre-existing, unwitnessed, not reported quickly enough, caused by ordinary aging, not related to patient care, or outside the scope of employment because it happened in a home, hallway, parking lot, or vehicle.
Medical disputes
What injured healthcare workers should do after an accident
Healthcare workers are often trained to keep going, finish the shift, protect the patient, and avoid making a problem for the employer. That can hurt a workers’ comp claim. After an injury, the goal is to document what happened clearly and protect your medical care, paycheck, and future claim value.
Unsure what to do next?
We can review the facts, the injury, the job duties, and whether a workers’ comp or third-party claim may apply.
1. Get medical care
Tell the doctor exactly how the injury happened and that it happened while you were working.
2. Report it in writing
Use text, email, incident report, supervisor notice, HR notice, or the reporting system your employer requires.
3. Save proof
Preserve photos, schedules, patient assignments, mileage logs, witness names, incident reports, and medical restrictions.
4. Get advice early
This is especially important if the case involves assault, travel, unsafe property, dog bites, surgery, or denied benefits.
Healthcare worker FAQ
Are nurses and healthcare workers covered by workers’ compensation in Illinois?
Yes. Nurses, CNAs, techs, therapists, caregivers, home health aides, hospice workers, and other healthcare employees may be covered by Illinois workers’ compensation if the injury arose out of and occurred in the course of their job.
Can I get workers’ comp if I hurt my back lifting or transferring a patient?
Yes, if the lifting or transfer injury was related to your work. Back, neck, shoulder, knee, and hip injuries from patient handling are common healthcare workers’ compensation claims.
What if I was attacked by a patient at work?
A patient assault may be covered by workers’ compensation if it happened because of your job. Depending on the facts, benefits may include medical treatment, wage replacement, permanent disability, and treatment for physical or psychological injuries.
Can home health aides get workers’ comp if injured at a client’s house?
In many cases, yes. If you are injured while performing home health care duties, entering or leaving a scheduled visit, helping a client, or traveling between clients, you may have an Illinois workers’ compensation claim.
Can I sue if I fell at a patient’s home or was hit by another driver while working?
Sometimes. You generally cannot sue your direct employer for a normal workers’ comp injury, but you may have a third-party claim against a negligent driver, property owner, dog owner, landlord, maintenance company, or another party that caused your injury.
Do I need a lawyer for a healthcare workers’ comp claim?
You may not need a lawyer for every minor injury. But you should strongly consider legal help if your claim is denied, your checks stop, treatment is delayed, surgery is denied, an IME is scheduled, you have permanent restrictions, or the injury involved assault, travel, unsafe property, a dog bite, or a possible third-party claim.
Talk to McHargue & Jones about your healthcare workers’ comp claim
If you are a nurse, CNA, caregiver, home health aide, hospice worker, therapist, tech, or healthcare employee hurt on the job in Illinois, McHargue & Jones can review your case and explain what benefits, treatment, settlement issues, or third-party claims may be available.
Chicago office
McHargue & Jones, LLC
105 W Madison St, Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (312) 739-0000
McHargue & Jones represents injured healthcare workers in Chicago, Cook County, and throughout Illinois. No fee unless we win. Se habla español.