Policy
Employees who suffer an injury/illness arising out of and in the course of their employment will receive compensation if applicable and in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Workers' Compensation and Occupational Diseases Acts. Compensation includes payment of medical bills and semi-monthly "paychecks" to replace lost earnings.
Procedures
An employee injured at work must notify their supervisor and call the State of Illinois Workers' Compensation Third-Party Administrator (TPA) to report the injury and initiate the claim. If the injury is of a serious nature, the employee should seek medical attention immediately before informing the supervisor or making a call. If the attending physician determines the employee is unable to return to work that day, the employee will receive regular pay for the remainder of the day of injury. The employee should call the Workers' Compensation Coordinator (WCC) in Environmental Health and Safety to provide notification that they are seeking treatment and to obtain the toll-free number for the TPA.
It is extremely important that employees follow these procedures when experiencing an on-the-job injury or a job-related illness. TPA will determine eligibility for Workers’ Compensation benefits based upon medical information provided by the physician and detailed Workers’ Compensation claim forms the employee and supervisor complete. These claim forms are to be forwarded to EHS as soon as possible after the accident. A delay in submitting these written claim forms will delay Workers’ Compensation determinations and benefits.
When an employee has a work-related accident or injury, he or she must notify his or her supervisor and complete reports within 24 hours of the accident. The following five reports must be completed as applicable:
- 1. Worker's Compensation Employee's Notice of Injury
- 2. Supervisor's Report of Accident
- 3. Witness Report(s)
- 4. Information Release Authorization
- 5. Environmental Health and Safety Accident Reporting through iPeople (In addition to reporting accidents/injuries through the WCC, EHS is required to submit prompt notifications to the State of Illinois Department of Labor.)
- If an employee is unable to work due to a work-related injury, they must complete a Leave of Absence & Benefit Option form and provide the WCC with a doctor's statement indicating inability to work. The employee must be off work for more than three (3) days to qualify for income replacement benefits equal to two-thirds of their average earnings over the previous 52 weeks. The first three (3) days of absence must be recorded on the employee's time card. Accrued benefit time should be used. If the time lost eventually exceeds 14 days, the first three (3) days will be compensated under Worker's Compensation.
If the employee is off payroll for an entire payroll period, he or she is responsible for any payroll deductions which would normally be taken (Credit Union, insurance, etc.). The employee will be billed directly for insurance deductions which are normally payroll deducted.
All accident-related expenses are the responsibility of the State, no matter how long the employee is off work, and if the injury is deemed compensable. If an accident is deemed compensable, the employer (State of Illinois) will pay all necessary first aid and emergency services, treating physicians, surgeons, or hospitals of the employee's choice.
Before returning to work from a leave of absence, the employee must provide EHS with a physical copy of the physician's release to return to work signed by the physician with the date of return and restrictions, if any.