The Illinois Workers Compensation Act requires that most businesses with employees operating in the State of Illinois carry insurance to cover workers compensation claims. This provision is very important for Illinois workers. When an employer does not have insurance, the employee may have to wait a long time to receive any benefits, including medical treatment, benefits for time off work and compensation for the work-related injury itself. Even then, the injured worker most likely will only receive a portion of those benefits.
Recently, the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission recognized the importance of this provision of the law. A pet store in Evanston, Illinois was shut down for failure to obtain workers compensation insurance, after four employees filed workers' compensation claims against the business and were unable to obtain benefits. This is the first time a business has been shut down by the State of Illinois for failure to have this insurance.
Despite Illinois workers compensation law requiring businesses to have workers compensation insurance and the potential consequence of having your business shut down for failure to comply with this requirement, there are still a substantial number of business that have been operating in recent years without insurance. The action against the employer in this case shows that the State of Illinois and the llinois Workers Compensation Commission are concerned about this issue and understand the potential burden on Illinois workers posed by uninsured employers. Hopefully, this recent action will encourage more employers who do not have workers compensation insurance to make sure that they are in compliance with the law. This will be a good development for everyone - employers and injured workers alike.
Evanston Business Closed For Not Having Workers' Compensation Insurance, Sun Times News Group, June 3, 2009
