Online Doctor's Note in Illinois

Illinois’ Paid Leave for All Workers Act

Since January 1, 2024, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act has entitled most Illinois employees to earn at least one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours in a 12-month period. This leave can be used for any reason, including illness, and the law is unusually protective on documentation: an employer cannot require a doctor’s note, ask for any other proof, or make an employee explain why the leave is being taken.

Local rules in Chicago and Cook County

Chicago and most of Cook County follow their own ordinances instead of relying only on the state act. These add a separate paid-sick-leave bank on top of an any-reason paid-leave bank. Under Chicago’s ordinance, an employer can generally require documentation, such as a note, only after an absence of more than three consecutive workdays. For time off that falls outside both the state act and any local sick-leave bank, such as an unpaid absence under a company’s own attendance policy, Illinois law doesn’t stop an employer from asking for reasonable documentation.

Verifying a physician’s Illinois license

Physicians who practice in Illinois are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Anyone, including an employer, can look up whether a specific physician’s Illinois license is active and check for public disciplinary history through IDFPR’s free license lookup tool. That’s a separate question from whether an employer can see the details of your own note: sharing your note, or confirming anything about it, is your choice as the patient, not something CuroNote or a reviewing physician would do on an employer’s request without your permission.

Before CuroNote launches in Illinois

CuroNote is in a pre-launch reserve phase in Illinois: no payment is collected, and no physician is reviewing requests yet. Once live, a physician licensed in Illinois will review each intake and, if appropriate, sign a note the same day.