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Protecting Your Rights After an Injury
If you have been hurt at work and the insurance company is denying your claim, count on Valentine Law Office, P.C. to protect your rights.
You may have a work injury claim for your back, neck, shoulder, arm, hand, leg, foot, or head. Hearing loss, mental stress, and even death are covered under workers’ compensation. Work injuries can occur suddenly (traumatic) or gradually over time due to repetitive work (cumulative). Check out some FAQs specific to work injuries.
Contact us when you need a workers’ compensation attorney to handle your case and help you get the benefits you deserve.
A Complicated System
The Iowa workers’ compensation system is designed to provide quick means to address the injuries of Iowa workers who have been hurt on the job.
Unfortunately, although the Iowa workers’ compensation system is designed to provide a quick response to the injuries suffered by workers, it can become a complicated system that requires attorneys to fully protect the interests of injured workers.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Businesses in Iowa are required to have Iowa workers’ compensation insurance, or self-insure their businesses, so Iowa workers’ compensation benefits are provided. As a practical matter, most businesses in the state have workers’ compensation insurance, and thus are covered under Iowa workers’ compensation laws.
This does not always mean that things go smoothly once an injury is reported, but it does mean that in most cases the employer has coverage for an injury that arises out of and in the course of employment.
Employer Requirements
Iowa’s laws regarding workers’ compensation are meant to be self-effectuating. This means that if an individual has an injury at work, and reports that injury to the employer, the employer is to provide 3 things to the worker:
- Payment for medical care that is authorized by the employer
- Payment for time off work
- Payment for a permanent impairment or disability if there are permanent issues
The difficulties come when the employer denies that an injury is related to work, or refuses to authorize medical care, or refuses to pay for temporary or permanency benefits.
A Compromise Between Competing Entities
Iowa workers’ compensation represents a compromise between competing interests. A worker who is injured at work does not need to prove negligence on the part of the employer in order to have an Iowa workers’ compensation case. In exchange for this no-fault system, the injured worker gives up the right to be completely compensated for the injury.
The injured worker does not get to recover all the money that may be lost as a result of his or her injury. Instead, the worker is paid for time lost from work (temporary disability or temporary partial disability benefits) and for benefits for permanent disability.
Because this is an Iowa workers’ compensation claim and not a personal injury lawsuit, recovery is not allowed for physical pain and suffering, mental anguish and humiliation, or the value of the loss of enjoyment of life caused by the work injury.
Our Location
Valentine Law Office, P.C.
809 Central Avenue, Suite 415
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Memberships, Organizations, and Accreditations
- America's Most Honored Lawyers - Top 5% 2022 & 2023
- President of Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, 2006 – 2007
- Governor’s appointment to Iowa Board of Medicine, 2000 – 2009
- Founding Member of ITLA Workers’ Compensation Core Group
- President of the Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Attorneys, Inc
- Voted by Peers to The Best Lawyers in America in the Practice Area of Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants 2011 – 2023
Learn More About
Valentine Law Office, P.C.
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