NAVIGATING INJURIES CAUSED BY HORSEPLAY IN THE WORKPLACE IN IOWA

by Baylor Evnen, LLP | Jul 8, 2026 | BLOG, IOWA WORKERS' COMPENSATION, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Under Iowa law, for a workplace injury to be compensable it must both “arise out of” and be “in the course of” employment. Horseplay in the workplace is an activity that may or may not be a deviation from work, and thus not “in the course of” employment for determining if an injury is compensable. […]

IOWA SUPREME COURT PROVIDES GUIDANCE ON SETTLING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS WHEN A SECOND INJURY FUND CLAIM IS INVOLVED

by Baylor Evnen, LLP | Apr 27, 2026 | BLOG, IOWA WORKERS' COMPENSATION, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

One of the most challenging aspects of managing a claim in which the employee is also alleging a Second Injury Fund claim is achieving a full and final settlement. Recently, the Iowa Supreme Court handed down a decision in Kingsbury v. Second Injury Fund, which has the potential to make the process a lot easier. […]

2026 IOWA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

by Baylor Evnen, LLP | Feb 26, 2026 | BLOG, IOWA WORKERS' COMPENSATION, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

H.F. 450 (Senate companion bill listed as S.F. 454) – A bill relating to the standards for determination of loss or permanent impairment for purposes of PPD, including applicability provisions. Explanation: Under the current structure, determinations of the extent of loss or percentage of permanent impairment for purposes of PPD use the AMA guides. This […]

IOWA COURT OF APPEALS DETERMINES THAT SKIN INJURIES INVOLVING MULTIPLE SCHEDULED MEMBERS DO NOT ENTITLE CLAIMANTS TO AN ASSESSMENT OF INDUSTRIAL DISABILITY IN LAGUERRE V. JBS USA HOLDINGS, INC.

by Baylor Evnen, LLP | Nov 10, 2025 | BLOG, IOWA WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Recently, the Iowa Court of Appeals rejected a claimant’s argument that skin injuries to multiple scheduled members should be measured on an industrial basis. Essentially, in 2017, changes were made to ICA 85.34(2), which details scheduled members.  The theory is that any anatomy not specifically listed as a scheduled member results in the same being […]

IOWA SUPREME COURT: FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT APPLIES DESPITE EMPLOYEE RESIGNATION

by Baylor Evnen, LLP | Oct 7, 2025 | BLOG, IOWA WORKERS' COMPENSATION, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

The Iowa Supreme Court has clarified an issue in workers’ compensation law: if an injured worker returns to work with the same employer and earns the same or greater wages than before their injury—and then subsequently resigns—their compensation is limited to functional impairment—not loss of earning capacity. In Den Hartog Industries v. Dungan, decided on […]

IOWA PENALTY STATUTE BREAKDOWN

by Baylor Evnen, LLP | Jun 10, 2025 | BLOG, IOWA WORKERS' COMPENSATION, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Under the Iowa Workers’ Compensation Act employers and carriers must have a reasonable basis to deny a claim. Often times this rule gets talked about in the context of the common law tort actions for bad faith, but it is also important to remember that this rule also applies to penalties under the Iowa Workers’ […]