Court of Appeals Affirms Finding of No Causation for Claimant's Back Injury

Paylor v. Dee Zee Inc., No. 14-1570 (Iowa App. Oct. 28, 2015)  involved a claim that was dismissed by the commissioner, who found that claimant's back injury and surgery were not related to his work injury.  The court notes that its scope of review was severely circumscribed and noted that judgment calls were left to the agency.

The court affirmed the decision on substantial evidence grounds, noting that the agency carefully assessed the medical evidence, crediting certain medical providers over others and assessing the quality of the opinions, based on the medical history or lack thereof.  Because medical causation presented a question of fact vested in the discretion of the commission, and there was no abuse of this discretion, the decision of the agency was affirmed.

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