The State-Wide minimum wage becomes $9.25 per hour beginning January 1, 2020. The minimum wage in Cook County will become $12.00 per hour and increase to $13.00 per hour in the City of Chicago. The change to the State-Wide minimum hourly wage will result in an increase of Workers’ Compensation Weekly Temporary Total disability benefits. Under Illinois law, this benefit will become $246.67 per week for a single person and will be raised by 10% for each dependent, not to exceed $370.00 per week or the employee’s average weekly wage, whichever is less.
Please note this State-Wide minimum wage is scheduled to increase again on July 1, 2020 to $10.00 per hour. The Workers’ Compensation temporary total disability minimum rate will increase to $266.67 per week for a single person and will be raised by 10% for each dependent, not to exceed $400.00 per week or the employee’s average weekly wage, whichever is less. The minimum permanent partial disability rate will similarly increase for low wage workers.
Effective January 1, 2020, it becomes lawful for persons 21 years of age or older to possess, use and purchase limited amounts of cannabis for personal use. For those injured on the job, this means that if a post-accident drug test is positive for cannabis consumption, the work injury is no longer automatically denied as a result of that test, provided your consumption was from a legal purchase.
Except in limited circumstances, your immigration status is not admissible in any civil proceeding. The law goes on to state that a person may not, with the intent to deter any person or witness from testifying freely, fully, and truthfully to any matter before trial or in any court or before any grand jury, administrative agency, or any other State or local governmental unit, threaten to or actually disclose, directly or indirectly, a person’s or witness’s immigration status to any entity or any immigration or law enforcement agency. A person who violates this prohibition commits a Class C misdemeanor.
If you have any questions about these laws or any workers’ compensation question, please feel free to consult us at 1-312-724-5846 or visit us on the web at www.katzfriedman.com.