School Employees

Illinois Attorneys Handling Workers' Compensation Claims

Just like employees in any other field, when employees of schools are injured on the job, they are entitled to workers' compensation benefits. However, school employees have special considerations that must be addressed when pursing a workers' compensation claim.

At the law firm of Woodruff & Johnson, our attorneys have extensive experience addressing the particular needs of school employees. With offices in Aurora, Chicago, and Champaign, we provide convenient representation for clients throughout Illinois. Contact our offices today to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consultation regarding your potential workers' compensation claim.

Special Considerations for School Employees Injured While Working

Generally, the amount of compensation a worker is entitled to receive in workers' compensation disability benefits is based upon the average weekly salary that person received during the prior year. Often this can be computed using simply math - a person's total annual salary, divided over a 52 week period.

However, teachers and other school employees are a special group. With lengthy summer vacations, they rarely work 52 weeks out of the year; an average work calendar is more likely to be around 42 weeks per year. The Illinois Supreme Court has established that an injured school employee should receive compensation based upon the number of weeks they actually work rather than the number of weeks in a calendar year.

Consequently, rather than dividing the annual salary by 52, the employee's annual salary should be divided by 42 weeks (or the number of weeks in the school year). This results in a higher weekly average, which is then used as the basis for determining work comp benefits. Ultimately, this results in higher benefit payments for the school employee.

For assistance when filing a workers' compensation claim, come to the experienced lawyers of Woodruff & Johnson. We have the knowledge and experienced to get the results you need. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.