The Illinois Workers Compensation Commission is supposed to regulate the cases at the State of Illinois Building in Chicago. Governor Rauner has been trying to clean up the image of the Workers Compensation Commission since he is running for reelection. Rauner has quietly appointed 11 more arbitrators to continue his dirty work shortchanging injured workers out of their due benefits. Rauner has allowed cancer to run rampant as greedy lawyers and insider shortchange the sick. They are splitting the fees after the injured sign their pink sheets for pennies on the dollar. Rauner said in a public statement how is appointees are in charge of thousands of cases.
Most arbitrators go to work like a meat packing assembly line. Case after case, injury after injury. The arbitrators are so overworked, they just forget why they are there.
One major injury included a City of Chicago Department of Water Management employee that suffered major injuries. The employee was transferred to the Department of Building and then in a major injury. The employee came back to work too soon, was sent to a lousy assignment on purpose, and then retaliated against. Soon the false accusations started and then the employee was put up on false charges and forced to resign. The employee needed additional surgery and then the City sent the case to Hennessy and Roach. The case was continually appealed, but if Alderman Burke is getting big campaign contributions, it does not make a difference.
The case was won by the plaintiff in Circuit Court. Hennessy and Roach has billed the City over $50,000.00 dollars and counting. That does not include all the hours the City Law Department has billed and not accounted for. The idea here is, Hennessey and Roach bill like crazy and if they give Alderman Burke and City Hall political contributions, the fraud will continue. During the next Mayoral election, you will soon see law firms steer millions to the candidates that will continue the raid on the taxpayer’s money. So, in Chicago, if you think the Workers Compensation is about helping a hurt worker, you are wrong. It is about the insiders slicing up the pie. And Chicago is progressive?