Small Business Coverage and Peace of Mind
Illinois has a variety of industries. The southern third of the state is known as “Little Egypt.” The region is bordered on three sides by the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers, which were compared to Egypt’s Nile by 19th century settlers. With small cities like Carbondale, Belleville, and Mt. Vernon, Little Egypt expresses the rural character of the American heartland. To the north, central Illinois with the state capital in Springfield, exemplifies the nation’s agricultural bounty, which provides the world with soybeans, corn, grain, and meat. Northern Illinois, anchored by metropolitan Chicago, is a center of economic activity that reaches to every corner of the globe.
Illinois is home to more than thirty Fortune 500 companies, which represent the state’s wide range of economic activity from Archer Daniels Midland and Deere to Boeing, Caterpillar, Kraft Foods, Abbott Laboratories, and McDonald’s. Illinois is also home to thousands of independently owned and operated small businesses. Whether a business is large or small, it is required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance.
Illinois Workers’ Compensation History
The first law in the United States requiring workers’ compensation was passed in Wisconsin in 1911. Neighboring Illinois was close behind, passing its law the following year. Before that time, employers had no responsibility to compensate employees or their families in cases of injuries or death at work. When accidents did occur, cases often wound up in civil court. The Illinois workers’ compensation law addressed these two issues. Employees would receive prompt and fair compensation for work-related injuries and employers were freed from costly civil suits that exposed them to damages, which included not only doctor and hospital bills, but also awards for pain and suffering. Under the system, injured workers received benefits including lost wages, medical care, and rehabilitation, while, in some cases, family members received death benefits. Compensation was also awarded for permanent injury to a workers’ body.
How Does Workers’ Compensation Work in Illinois?
Today, Illinois’ no-fault workers’ compensation system continues to protect employees and employers in all types of commerce. Some of the leading independent businesses purchasing workers’ compensation insurance in Illinois are auto repair shops, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, physicians, machine shops, clothing, screw and furniture manufactures, country clubs, and colleges.
What are the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Requirements?
In Illinois, all employers must have workers’ compensation for their employees. There are, however some limited exemptions − for example, sole proprietors may be exempt if they do not have any employees, however they may still choose to protect themselves with coverage.1
Failure to carry workers’ compensation insurance can be costly:
- Employers who knowingly and willfully fail to have coverage can be fined up to $500 per day of noncompliance, with a minimum fine of $10,000. Corporate officers can be held personally liable if the company fails to pay the penalty.1
- Corporate officers can be found guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, or if they knowingly failed to obtain coverage, they can be found guilty of a Class 4 felony. criminal penalties that can range from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on whether or not the failure to obtain workers’ compensation was negligent or knowing.1
- If an employee sustains a work-related injury while their employer was uninsured, they can sue the employer in civil court where benefits are unlimited.1
- A work-stop order could be issued on employers that knowingly fail to obtain workers’ comp insurance. In this case, all business operations must stop until the employer provides proof of insurance.1
Getting Workers’ Compensation Insurance in Illinois
EMPLOYERS is America’s Workers’ Comp Specialist® and it provides Illinois based businesses with workers’ compensation insurance that is cost effective and affordable. The value added services that EMPLOYERS offers its policyholders, such as loss control services, PrecisePay®, Anti-Fraud Programs, Managed Care Services, and Premium Audit, make EMPLOYERS a great choice for businesses in Illinois.
Illinois Workmans’ Comp Coverage You Need
Interested in learning more about how EMPLOYERS can help your Illinois business? Request a quote for workers’ compensation insurance from EMPLOYERS!
Thousands of small businesses trust EMPLOYERS for providing cost-effective workers’ compensation insurance for over a century. With our competitive pricing, financial stability and dependability, claims service, safety training and risk advisory programs, EMPLOYERS remains focused on keeping America’s small businesses not only working, but working safely.
1. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Insurance. https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/about/Pages/insurance.aspx