Q: My work comp case is closed, but they did not pay all my medical. What should I do?
A: Contact the attorney who handled your case and let him or her know this. The times I've had this happen in my practice have generally been resolved fairly quickly. I always handled these situations without charging an additional fee.
Charles Candiano agrees with this answer
A:
I agree with Mr. Ahlberg IF YOU HAD AN ATTORNEY. If you did not have an attorney and there is no language in your settlement contract to pay the providers, you may be stuck. There are NO MEDICAL LIENS on Illinois WC settlements so NONE of the bills have to be paid from the settlement but YOU do remain responsible for them.
Even if you did have an attorney, many attorneys will accurately tell their clients who have disputed medical bills: "there are no liens in Illinois Worker's Compensation" because the attorney wants to close the case fast and get their fee. The client HEARS this and wrongly believes they do not have to pay. They do. I have had many clients of other attorneys call me over the years to say that they settled their case for $5,000 but they owe $7,000 in medical bills. It is not enough to merit filing Bankruptcy so many people end up on payment plans.
If you had no attorney or an unscrupulous attorney, you may have to pay. Nobody can tell you without reading your settlement contract.
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