In a recent unpublished decision, Hoots v. (Dollar General), IWCC, 2022 IL App (4th) 220441WC-U), the Appellate Court agreed with the Commission that Petitioner failed to show that her accident occurred in the course of her employment. Petitioner was not considered a traveling employee simply because she commuted to work. Further, the employer did not own, maintain, control, or direct Petitioner to traverse in the area in which the injury occurred.

The MSP Network, a professional organization created by the Medicare Secondary Payer industry to monitor developments in policy and practice and provide continuing education to members, recently held its annual conference in Baltimore.

In Edgar Lucero v. Focal Point LLC., (22 IWCC 0231) the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission affirmed and adopted the very first COVID-19 litigated case in Illinois, in favor of the Petitioner.

As a young attorney, I remember (amidst the morning buzz at the Commission) overhearing another attorney proclaim something along the lines of, “If we’re not settled here and now, then we’re going to trial today… and I’m putting everything in dispute except jurisdiction and employment.” 

YOLO, they say.  Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and simply enjoy the journey, they say.

On August 19, 2022, Governor Pritzker reappointed all 10 Arbitrators whose terms were expiring: Dennis O'Brien, Edward Lee, Elaine Llerena, Frank Soto, Jacqueline Hickey Haralelli, Michael Glaub, Roma Dalal, William Gallagher, William McLaughlin and Kurt Carlson.

Chicago aspires to lead other cities in anti-sexual harassment measures, with new legal requirements that employers provide bystander intervention training along with increased notice and other training requirements for employees.

On June 27, 2022, the Illinois Appellate Court Workers’ Compensation Commission Division (4th District) issued a Rule 23 Decision in the case of City of Springfield v. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, 2022 IL App (4th) 210338WC-U.

In Connely v. North American Lighting, Inc. 30 ILWCLB 48 (Ill. W.C. Comm. 2022), the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission discussed whether an employee’s termination for attendance violations could be construed as a “refusal to work” for purposes of cutting TTD.

The importance of repetition in employment cannot be understated.