Rezin: Ottawa workers’ compensation hearing site to remain open
PERU, IL – After meetings with members of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, lawyers, and the Mayor of Ottawa, State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said that the docket site in danger of closing in Ottawa will remain open.
Due to the workers’ compensation reform that was passed in the spring, the Workers’ Compensation Commission developed a proposal that would eliminate nine existing hearing sites and create five hearing zones outside of the City of Chicago. The proposal would have closed the Ottawa site, creating a hardship for injured workers having to travel greater distances to attend hearings.
Sen. Rezin met with lawyers, the Mayor of Ottawa and members of the commission to stress the importance of maintaining the current site in the city. Law offices from both Peru and Ottawa submitted proposals to the commission that would allow for the site to remain open and still meet the requirements of the law.
“During the meetings, we all stressed that the Ottawa site was a convenient location for hearings that cost nothing to the commission,” Sen. Rezin said. “Additionally, keeping it open would be extremely advantageous to my constituents and provide the most access to the system for employers and their employees.”
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission announced last Friday that they decided to keep the Ottawa hearing site open.
“I am pleased that we were able to come together to keep the Ottawa site open,” Sen. Rezin said. “The courthouse is one of the finest and most professional in the state, and the burden of traveling a longer distance will not have to be a worry for injured workers.”