The purpose of the Workers’ Compensation Act is to provide employee’s with fast, no fault compensation for injuries that arise out of and in the course of employment. In exchange, employers do not have to worry about civil lawsuits resulting from work related injuries. Police officers and firefighters injured during their employment are entitled to all the benefits contained in the Workers Compensation Act (820 ILCS 305 et seq.). A workers compensation claim must be filed with the Workers Compensation Commission (“WC Commission”) within 3 years of the date of injury or two years from the last payments of wages intended as compensation for the injury. Under the Act, notice of a work related incident must be provided to the employer within 45 days of the accident. Under the Workers Compensation Act, an injured police officer or firefighter is entitled to several benefits. Those benefits include, but are not limited to, the following to an injured police officer or firefighter: a) A wage replacement to the injured officer; b) Payments of all reasonable and necessary medical bills incurred by the injured officer from two primary physicians plus those physicians chain of referrals; c) A lump sum permanency award for the percentage of loss sustained to the particular body part To obtain a lump sum settlement an application for adjustment of claim must be filed by the officer or firefighter with the WC Commission, an employer has no obligation to pay a settlement unless a claim is filed with the WC Commission within the statute of limitations period described above.
