Cascade Workers Compensation Attorneys

Understanding Workers' Compensation Benefits in Iowa

Workers' compensation payments are financial benefits provided to employees who suffer work related injuries or illnesses. For a Cascade worker, this coverage generally includes medical expenses, lost wages, and permanent disability benefits, all designed to help an injured employee recover while maintaining some level of financial stability. These benefits are mandatory when a worker suffers an injury in the course of employment, whether it results from a sudden accident or from repetitive and cumulative trauma over time.

Why Do Workers' Compensation Payments Stop?

Workers' compensation benefits do not last forever, and there are a number of reasons a Cascade worker's payments may come to an end, including:

• Benefits paid in full, once the insurance company has satisfied the impairment rating or industrial disability obligation.
• Returning to work, which stops TTD benefits, though PPD or TPD benefits may still apply if the worker is earning less because of the injury.
• Reaching maximum medical improvement, at which point TTD benefits stop and an impairment rating may be assigned for PPD purposes.
• Denial of the claim, often based on an independent medical examination (IME) or records review disputing that the condition is work related.
• Missed medical appointments, including a failure to attend a required IME.
• A voluntary settlement, which may provide a lump sum but could also mean forfeiting ongoing medical benefits.
• Allegations of employer misconduct, such as being terminated for cause or refusing light duty work.
• Missing the filing deadline, since Iowa generally allows two years from the date of injury, or three years from the last workers' compensation payment, to file a claim.

How Cascade Workers Can Protect Their Benefits

Keep Detailed Records

Document every medical treatment, communication with the employer and insurance company, and any missed workdays. Thorough records make it far easier to dispute a wrongful termination of benefits down the road.

Follow Medical Advice

Attend every medical appointment and follow the treating doctor's recommendations. Missing visits or failing to comply with a treatment plan can give an insurance company an excuse to cut off payments.

Consult a Workers' Compensation Attorney

If payments stop unexpectedly, or if a Cascade worker believes they are not receiving the full benefit amount owed, an experienced workers' compensation attorney can help, particularly in cases involving an IME dispute, a denied claim, or a proposed settlement.

Understand Your Rights

Many injured workers are simply unaware of the full range of benefits available to them, which is why having a clear explanation of the process and the common mistakes to avoid is so valuable before signing anything from an insurance company.

Epidural Injections and Back Injury Treatment

Back problems are among the most common injuries for Cascade workers who perform heavy lifting, and treatment can sometimes include epidural injections. The epidural space is a fat filled area located between the dura mater surrounding the spinal cord and the wall of the vertebra. During an epidural injection, a needle delivers corticosteroids into that space to reduce swelling and, hopefully, relieve pain.

Doctors commonly use epidural injections to treat a variety of spine related conditions, including:

• Disc herniations
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolysis

Patients typically receive an injection every couple of weeks over the course of several weeks, though the exact schedule is something to discuss directly with a treating physician. As with any medical procedure, there are possible complications worth discussing beforehand, including bleeding, infection, nerve damage, and dural punctures.

Workers' Compensation Disputes Involving Medical Treatment

Iowa workers' compensation insurance generally covers medical expenses related to a covered injury, along with disability benefits depending on the employee's ability to work and any resulting permanent impairment. Doctors can heavily influence both the length and the amount of benefits a Cascade worker receives, based largely on their assessment of the injury. Employers in Iowa also have the right to choose the medical provider treating the injury, which can sometimes create friction.

Occasionally, a doctor may deny that an employee has an injury or is experiencing real pain, sometimes because the physician is inclined to favor the employer who selected them. When that happens, or when other treatment disputes arise, a Cascade worker can file an appeal for alternative medical treatment with the Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner (IWCC).

If a worker's condition is not expected to improve despite continued treatment, it may eventually be classified as a permanent disability. Back injuries specifically are treated as industrial disabilities under Iowa workers' compensation law, meaning the analysis goes beyond a simple body part rating.

Permanent Disability and Back Injuries

To qualify for Iowa workers' compensation benefits, a Cascade employee must be able to show that the injury is connected to work duties or the work environment. Under the Iowa Administrative Code, an injury is defined as any health impairment other than the normal building up and tearing down of body tissue. While many permanently disabling back injuries stem from a single traumatic event, such as a fall from height, others develop from overexertion accumulated over a longer stretch of time.

When a doctor determines that a back injury is permanent, a Cascade worker may become eligible for permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits once the healing period ends, meaning the point at which the worker returns to work, can return to similar employment, or further healing is not expected. Because a permanently disabled back injury is considered an unscheduled disability under Iowa Code Section 85.34, the analysis involves far more than a doctor's impairment rating alone. Several additional factors come into play, including:

• The nature and extent of the injury and impairment
• Any work restrictions that result
• The worker's skills, education, and prior work experience
• Age and changes in earning capacity caused by the injury

The overall calculation is designed to anticipate how much the injury will affect a worker's ability to earn a living for the rest of their life, which is why the process can be complex and why disputes often arise when a worker believes the assigned rating is too low. If a Cascade worker is completely prevented from working because of the injury, permanent total disability (PTD) benefits may apply instead, continuing for as long as the disability remains permanent and totally disabling. In either case, lifetime medical benefits may also be available to pay for ongoing treatment and care related to the injury.

Can Social Security Benefits Affect Workers' Compensation Payments?

Yes. Receiving Social Security benefits can affect workers' compensation payments for a Cascade worker. Anyone receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will see their workers' compensation payments reduce that benefit. For workers receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the combined total of benefits generally cannot exceed 80 percent of the worker's highest annual earnings during the five years before the injury occurred. Because of this overlap, proper settlement language is essential to avoid an unexpected reduction in benefits.

What to Do If Workers' Compensation Payments Stop

If a Cascade worker's payments stop unexpectedly, there are several steps worth taking right away:

• Check whether the impairment rating benefits have already been paid in full.
• Review the reason for termination, since an Auxier notice under Iowa Code Section 86.13 is required to explain why benefits are ending.
• Consider filing for unemployment if TTD benefits have ended but a return to work is not yet possible.
• Consult an attorney if there is any reason to believe the benefits were wrongfully terminated.