What to Do If Your Salary Decreased After a Work Injury

 Posted on February 13, 2024 in Workplace Accidents

Suffering a work-related injury can be difficult enough without also seeing your salary reduced while recovering or after returning to work. Unfortunately, this is a situation that many employees face. Suppose you have experienced a drop in wages because of missing work for a work-related injury or being assigned to lighter duties after an injury. In that case, you can take steps to attempt to remedy the situation. An Illinois workers’ compensation attorney can make sure you are within your rights to make a claim.

Notify Your Employer

If your salary has been decreased because of a work injury, you should first notify your employer about the change. Ensure to note the date when your pay was reduced, what your wages were before the reduction, and what they have decreased to now. Communicate that the lower salary is due to missing work related to your injury.

This notification serves two essential purposes. First, it creates a record that you immediately informed your employer about the issue. Second, the notification allows your employer to fix any payroll mistakes and restore your full wages. Hopefully, a quick conversation is all that is needed to get your payback to previous levels. However, do not give up hope if they do nothing about it. You can try to claim workers’ compensation if needed.

File a Claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission

If talking to your employer does not resolve an injury-related salary decrease that you have experienced, the next step is to file a claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Strict time limits apply, so it is essential to start the claims process promptly to preserve your rights to compensation. The statute of limitations means you must file within 15 days of when wage reductions started, or else your claim could be barred.

When you file your claim, be prepared to provide details about your average weekly wages before the injury, the amount your wages have been reduced to now, the dates when decreases occurred, and any reasons your employer-provided for lowering your pay. This information will be vital in securing a potential order for your employer to restore your lost income. The Commission can also award penalties when employers improperly reduce salaries after work injuries.

Contact an Elmhurst, IL Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

The worst thing you can do if your pay has been reduced because of missing work for a job-related injury is nothing at all. Ignoring notice of decreased wages or checks reflecting sudden cuts prevents you from moving forward with attempts to get your rightful income reinstated. Meet lowered salary issues head-on by promptly working with a Bensenville, IL workers’ compensation attorney. No employee should have to endure unjustified losses in pay on top of suffering a workplace injury. Call Kaiser Law at 630-274-4400 for a free consultation.