UPDATE | 2021 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LEGISLATION

LB 256 As we reported last week, the Business and Labor Committee advanced LB 256 to General File on a 7-0 vote. Introduced by Senator Matt Hansen, LB 256 provides that a release may be used to finalize an agreement to resolve all issues other than future medical where the employee is eligible for Medicare, […]

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? AN INTERPRETATION OF WHICH WEEKS REPRESENT AN EMPLOYEE’S AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGE FOR WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

The Court of Appeals of Iowa affirmed a decision from the Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commission that held that a week during which an employee works only a few hours less than other weeks can be excluded from the average weekly wage calculation in Regional Care Hospital Partners, Inc. v. Marrs. As we know in Iowa, […]

UPDATE | 2021 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LEGISLATION

As of the close of business on Friday, March 12, Committee hearings were completed.  Priority bill designations will wrap up early this week when the Speaker of the legislature selects his 25 priority bills. We anticipate that the balance of the session will be dominated by balancing the state budget and debating priority bills. Early […]

2021 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LEGISLATION

As of yesterday, every legislative bill addressing workers’ compensation has now been heard in committee. Every bill remains in committee and no action has been taken on them, except LB 407, which was advanced to General File on 2/11/21. See below for a summary of each bill and a report on the testimony given at […]

FACTORS FOR COMMUTATION OF COMPENSATION AWARDS REVISITED

The Iowa Court of Appeals recently affirmed a Commissioner’s ruling to grant an employee’s request to have his workers’ compensation benefits partially commuted in United Fire v. Hessenius. In Hessenius, the employer argued against commutation on the basis that the employee failed to articulate how he planned to make up the lost revenue each week […]
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