A reader of our blog asked us the following:

I was hurt on the job and have a back injury. I’ve been off work for three weeks now. When do I start getting paid work comp benefits. I have bills!

This is a really common situation. The answer is that you should get paid within the first two weeks of missed time. Under Illinois workers’ compensation law, benefits start on the 4th calendar day of missed work. Once you miss 14 calendar days, you get those first three days back too.

It’s important to remember, calendar days is not actual…