The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission is transitioning to a fully electronic filing system.

On May 21, 2020, the Illinois Legislature amended the Illinois Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act to provide a rebuttable presumption in favor of compensability for First Responders and Front-Line workers who contract COVID-19.

Workers’ compensation COVID-19 exposure claims involving Medicare beneficiaries may need to be reported to the Benefits Coordination and Recovery Center under Section 111 mandatory reporting.

Yesterday morning the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (IWCC) voted unanimously to repeal the April 16th emergency rule, which declared a First Responder’s or Front-Line Worker’s exposure to COVID-19 the virus would be rebuttably presumed to have arisen out of and in the course of employment, and that the resulting injury and lost time would be presumed causally connected to the employment.

While development letters (CMS letters asking for additional information for a submitted MSA) have slowed over the last several months, we are still seeing them, nonetheless. 

Attorney William Lowry recently wrote about workers’ compensation insurance considerations when Illinois employees are working abroad. 

On April 21, 2020, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) filed case 2020 CH 000098 in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County.

On April 13, 2020, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission created an emergency amendment to Rule 9030.70, expanding the Commission’s Rules of Evidence to include a rebuttable presumption for first responders and front-line workers exposed to COVID-19.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its long-awaited proposed rule for imposition of mandatory civil penalties to enforce the Mandatory Insurer Reporting program commonly known as “Section 111 Reporting.”

To keep our clients updated regarding developments at the Commission as they affect the exposure our clients face on pending workers' compensation claims, note that there have been increases in the following benefit amounts effective January 15, 2020.