I hope this video is an introduction to how the City of Chicago, Alderman Burke, his Committee on Finance, The City of Chicago Departments, The Illinois Workers Compensation Commission, The Illinois Workers Compensation Lawyers, The Illinois Board of Higher Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Vocamotive works.
The graphics are simple, but powerful. Please wait through the entire video so you can see them all. Then you can put two and two together for yourself. I have much more information on the way, but too much gets people bogged down. So, this is a five +minute presentation and I hope it helps anyone hurt at work in Illinois.
If you are hurt at work while at the city of Chicago, I suggest you make sure you take an ambulance to the hospital. I hope you take every test you can to figure out what is wrong with you. I also suggest you take pictures when you get hurt, when you enter the ambulance, when you are at the hospital. Ask a friend to take pictures of everything. Pictures are your best friend and they will refresh your memory later.
Most things after this are on cruise control. The city will ask you to go to Mercy Works for a doctor’s visit, the city will drug test you, the Mercy works doctors will make some recommendations for medical care. Many times, they will tell you take some pills and go back to work. Sometimes they recommend more tests and will give you some time off.
If you do not cooperate with Mercy Works, they might say you have “conduct unbecoming a city worker.”
As soon as you can, hire your own doctor to get the care you need. Many doctors do not want to deal with Chicago Workers Compensation cases because they wait years for their money.
I strongly suggest you listen to your doctor and do what he says. Your health is important for the rest of your life. The City of Chicago does not give “light duty” unless you have Clout. Many Chicago City Workers go back to work hurt and end up addicted to pain killers and opiates.
After that get a good lawyer. Again, most worker’s compensation lawyers in Chicago talk a great game when you first meet them. They want to lock up and tie up your claim. Most Chicago Workers compensation lawyers do not want to deal with the city because the city withholds workers’ disability pay and medical care. The Chicago Committee on Finance has been a clout dumping ground for patronage workers. Could you imagine a hair dresser or a dog walkers handling your case? The COF is also a place where Alderman Ed Burke shakes down health care providers for his campaigns and the democrat party.
There is no place to make complaints because the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission only takes complains against private Insurance companies. Chicago is left free to run a clout patronage empire that enriches all the insiders.
Most Chicago City Workers return to work after a nice winter on Workers Compensation. The clog up the system from folks that have a legitimate claim.
Some workers are left on duty disability for the rest of their lives and some are sent to Vocational training.
Vocational Training is the City’s way of removing employees with serious health problems. More on that later.
Vocational Training is a way the City of Chicago has private contractor to do their dirty work. This shields companies from FOIA and accountability. Chicago never uses Reasonable accommodations unless the Mayor’s Office tells them, so the city can keep patronage workers on the payroll.
Vocational training consists of an assessment and recommendations that allow the City to remove workers and reduce their liabilities. The companies like Vocamotive take the City employee far away from the city and teaches basic typing and Microsoft classes. Many old trade and construction workers have had problems with this new technology. The Committee on Finance does their part to ensure failure by withholding duty disability payments. The checks are printed on time, sent for postage, and then sent back to the claims adjuster. The Claims adjuster sits on the checks until they are ordered by Monica Somerville to release them. This allows the city to provide more hardships to already injured workers. The U.S. Postal Service has done nothing to stop this practice.
Please remember, The City Law Department, the workers’ compensation lawyers, the Illinois Workers Compensation Board, the Committee on Finance, The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, the City medical providers, the city consultants, deal with each other year after year. They do not care about you. They make piles of money, reward and enrich each other.
You must do everything to protect you, your family and your heath. Document, Document, Document. Talk to you soon.
I hope I can help, contact me at chicagoclout@gmail.com . Special Thanks to Jay Stone, The smartest man in the room.