Court of Appeals Affirms Alternate Medical Care Award for Physical Therapy in Claimant's Home State
In Annett Holdings v. Roland, No. 15-0043 (Iowa App. Feb. 10, 2016), the Court of Appeals upheld a decision of the agency awarding claimant physical therapy in his home state of Alabama rather than the physical therapy that had been offered in Des Moines. When claimant had begun work for Annett Holdings, he signed a "memorandum of understanding" indicating that as a condition of employment, he agreed to temporarily relocate to Des Moines for the purposes of performing modified work if he were injured on the job. Claimant had an elbow injury, and surgery in Alabama, following which he was taken off work and referred for physical therapy, which originally occurred in Alabama. When claimant was released to light duty work, he was temporarily relocated to a Des Moines hotel, where physical therapy was performed. Claimant filed for alternate medical care and the agency concluded that treatment provided 897 miles from claimant's residence was unreasonable and unduly inconv...