Workers' Compensation Project
Workers and many union officials are understandably baffled by the complex Workers' Compensation system. All too often, injured workers only find out how the system works after it is too late and they have already done irreparable damage to their Workers' Compensation claim, their finances, and even their health.
Years ago, CACOSH made an important contribution by publishing "Injured on the Job: A handbook for Illinois workers," an easy-to-read, comprehensive guide to Workers' Compensation. It was published in conjunction with the Illinois AFL-CIO in both English and Spanish.
For Workers' Memorial Day, 2003, CACOSH released a report called "Massive Workers' Compensation Fraud While the State's Watchdog Sleeps" that critically analyzes the Workers' Compensation system in Illinois, showing evidence of conflicts of interest, unqualified personnel, and inadequate supervision of funds among other frauds and inefficiencies. The document makes a series of recommendations to the then-incoming Blagojevich administration for improving that system. The full report can be downloaded here [116-kb .doc] or here [209-kb .pdf].
The Workers' Compensation Project seeks to build on the previous work by:
- Developing a program to educate worker advocates
on how the system works, its pitfalls, and how to
assist other workers.
- Educate unions about using collective bargaining
proactively to improve treatment of injured
workers
- Completing and publicizing research currently
underway that examines the treatment of injured
workers by insurers, employers, doctors, and
particularly, the Illinois Industrial
Commission
- Laying the foundation for Workers' Compensation
reform by educating workers about the inadequacies of
the law
- Keeping current on changes and updates to
Illinois Workers' Compensation law
- Expanding and reprinting the English version of
"Injured on the Job" and providing free or discounted
copies for low-income workers and the injured
- Aggressively distributing our Spanish version of
"Injured on the Job."
- Translation of the booklet into other languages, especially Polish
Project Status
Training on recent changes to Workers' Compensation laws is being planned, and efforts are underway to revise and reprint the "Injured on the Job" booklet.