Iowa Workers' Compensation

On April 16, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Ballalatak v. All Iowa Agriculture Association , 2010 WL 1507635, No. 08-1588 (Iowa April 16, 2010) http://www.iowacourts.gov/Supreme_Court/Recent_Opinions/20100416/08-1588.pdf . Ballalatak involved a supervisor who was fired for advocating to two injured workers that they hire an attorney to ensure they received workers' compensation benefits. The district court held that even if the supervisor was fired for attempting to help the injured workers receive workers' compensation benefits, plaintiff failed to state a claim because there was no public policy that protected supervisors or coemployees from termination for aiding injured employees in collecting workers' compensation benefits. In affirming the decision of the district court, the Supreme Court noted that employers may generally fire an at-will employee at any time. In order for the public policy exception to the at-will rule to apply, said the court, the...

Following the passage of section 85.34(7), the constitutionality of the bill (HF 2581) of which that provision as a part was challenged in the case of Godfrey v. State of Iowa , 752 N.W.2d 413 (Iowa 2008). http://www.iowacourts.gov/Supreme_Court/Recent_Opinions/20080620/05-1691.pdf . In Godfrey , the court found that the claimant lacked standing to challenge the provisions of the bill, and therefore did not rule on the constitutionality of that provision. More recently, the constitutionality of the bill of which the apportionment language was a part was again challenged, in Quaker Oats v. Main , 2010 WL 200420, No. 08-1507 (Iowa App. Jan. 22, 2010). http://www.iowacourts.gov/court_of_appeals/Recent_Opinions/20100122/9-896.pdf . In Main , the court found that the claimant's constitutional challenge was not filed in a timely manner, and hence could not be heard by the court. The court indicated that since the challenge had not been filed before HF 2581 was codified in January of...

Reflecting the focus on the budget and economic issues, the 2010 General Assembly passed nothing of import relating to workers' compensation. A number of bills had been on the table, including the following: - Choice of Doctor - Use of Assets in Second Injury Fund to Reimburse Commissioner - Allowing consideration of certain scheduled injuries industrially where earning capacity was negatively impacted - Including the full value of overtime in determining WC rates - Allowing for cost of living adjustments for certain claims - Modification of alternate care procedures for medical treatment - Denying coverage for certain willful acts - Excluding injuries incurred in voluntary recreational programs Because the 2010 session was the second year of the session, all of these bills will need to start from ground zero if they are introduced again. Thus, certain bills that have already passed one chamber will have to begin the process again in the newly constituted Senate and Ho...

A recent decision addressing §85.34(7) of the Code has been issued.  In Quaker Oats v. Main , No. 08-1507 (Iowa Ct. App. Jan 22, 2010), 2010 WL 200420, the Court of Appeals addressed two issues regarding the apportionment section of the workers’ compensation law.  The court found that §85.34(7) applied to successive injuries with the same employer as long as one of the injuries occurred after September 7, 2004, the effective date of the legislation.  The commissioner had earlier ruled in Main that both injuries had to take place after September 7, 2004 in order for the legislation to apply, but the district court reversed this finding, and this conclusion was affirmed by the Court of Appeals. The Main court also addressed the issue of the constitutionality of the provisions of House File 2581 that resulted in the legislation codified as §85.34(7).  The legislation had been attacked as being violative of the single subject provisions of the Iowa Constitution, Art. ...

In Schutjer v. Algona Manor Care Center , 780 NW2d 549 (Iowa 2010), the court was faced with four issues: 1) the correct rate; 2) whether TTD and TPD benefits were owed; 3) entitlement to PPD benefits; and 4) penalty. The commissioner had agreed with the employer on all four of these issues, but the district court determined that the rate had been improperly calculated and that the commissioner had incorrectly refused to provide temporary benefits for certain days between 12/2/02 and 1/4/03. In view of the decision on the rate issue, the district court remanded the penalty issue to the commissioner. The court of appeals agreed with the district court insofar as the above items were concerned ( TTD , rate, penalty), but also concluded that the commissioner had not properly analyzed the question of Schutjer's eligibility for temporary benefits after she left work on 1/5/03, and had failed to provide adequate detail concerning the decision that there was no permanent disabil...

The decision in Second Injury Fund of Iowa v. Kratzer , 778 N.W.2d 42 (Iowa 2010) followed close on the heals of the decision in Gregory v. Fund , which addressed similar issues. In Kratzer , claimant suffered an injury to both legs and lower back in 1994, which ultimately resulted in a decision by the commissioner, affirmed on appeal, of a 20% industrial disability. In 2002, claimant had another injury to her left leg, which was settled with the employer just before hearing. The arbitration decision found a first and second injury, and awarded 40% industrial disability. On appeal before the commissioner, the finding of first and second injuries was maintained, but the award was increased to permanent total disability under the odd-lot doctrine. On judicial review, the district court concluded that although claimant's first injury to the right leg was a qualifying injury, the injury to the left leg in 2002 was not because the same member was injured in the 1994 accident (a bi...

In Gregory v. Second Injury Fund , 775 N.W.2d 395 (Iowa 2010), the court addressed a number of issues that arise repeatedly in Fund cases which had not been addressed previously by the appellate courts. In Gregory , claimant suffered a first injury to both arms (bilateral carpal tunnel). At the same time she had bilateral injuries to her shoulders resulting in subacromial decompressions and distal clavicle excisions in both shoulders. She later fractured her right foot, and filed an action against the Fund. The workers' compensation commissioner concluded that an action against the Fund was not appropriate because Ms. Gregory's injuries extended beyond her extremities and into the body. The commissioner found that since this was a body as a whole injury, Fund benefits were not appropriate. The court noted that the Fund was conceived to encourage the employment of disabled persons by making the current employer responsible only for the disability the current employer c...