Lawmakers Eye Tightening Workers' Comp Rules
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
Illinois lawmakers could debate a proposal this spring designed to clarify what happens if you are injured on your way to your job.
State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, has introduced legislation mirroring a recent Illinois Supreme Court decision in a case involving a man who was severely injured in an auto accident while en route to his workplace.
The measure is among a number of tweaks to the state’s workers’ compensation law introduced by McCarter and fellow Republicans, including state Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon.
The proposal centers on the 2006 experience of pipefitter Gerald Daugherty of Springfield, who accepted a temporary job at a power plant 200 miles from his home.
Rather than commuting from Central Illinois to the power plant near the Quad Cities, Daugherty rented a motel room near the plant. As he and a co-worker drove to work one morning, their vehicle hit some ice and crashed, resulting in serious injuries for Daugherty.
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, which mediates disputes over workplace injury settlements, agreed he should receive compensation for his injuries.
But the state’s highest court ruled last month that Daugherty had made a personal decision to take the job in Rock Island County with full knowledge of the commute it involved.
“Daugherty was not a traveling employee,” Chief Justice Rita B. Garman, a Republican, wrote in the 6-1 decision.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
Illinois lawmakers could debate a proposal this spring designed to clarify what happens if you are injured on your way to your job.
State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, has introduced legislation mirroring a recent Illinois Supreme Court decision in a case involving a man who was severely injured in an auto accident while en route to his workplace.
The measure is among a number of tweaks to the state’s workers’ compensation law introduced by McCarter and fellow Republicans, including state Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon.
The proposal centers on the 2006 experience of pipefitter Gerald Daugherty of Springfield, who accepted a temporary job at a power plant 200 miles from his home.
Rather than commuting from Central Illinois to the power plant near the Quad Cities, Daugherty rented a motel room near the plant. As he and a co-worker drove to work one morning, their vehicle hit some ice and crashed, resulting in serious injuries for Daugherty.
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, which mediates disputes over workplace injury settlements, agreed he should receive compensation for his injuries.
But the state’s highest court ruled last month that Daugherty had made a personal decision to take the job in Rock Island County with full knowledge of the commute it involved.
“Daugherty was not a traveling employee,” Chief Justice Rita B. Garman, a Republican, wrote in the 6-1 decision.
Read more in our daily News Update...