An employee who sustains a work injury may be entitled to one or more types of workers' compensation benefits under Iowa law.
Legal Advice
The Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) cannot provide legal advice or referrals to private attorneys because it is a neutral tribunal that decides workers' compensation disputes.
You may contact an attorney to seek legal advice relating to your rights and responsibilities under Iowa law.
Table of Contents
- Medical Benefits
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) Benefits
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) Benefits
- Healing Period (HP) Benefits
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD) Benefits
- Second Injury Fund (SIF) Benefits
- Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Benefits
- Vocational Education & Training (VET) Benefits for Employees With a Shoulder Injury
- Death Benefits
Medical Benefits
Who chooses medical care?
The employer has the right to choose the medical care in most circumstances.
In an emergency, an injured employee may choose medical care if the employer or employer's representative can't be reached.
What type of care must the employer provide?
The employer must provide medical care reasonably suited to treat an employee's work injury.
Do medical benefits include services and supplies?
All reasonable services and supplies such as crutches, artificial members, appliances and permanent prosthetic devices to treat the injury are payable.
Artificial members or orthopedic appliances, which are damaged or made unusable by circumstances arising out of and in the course of employment (other than through ordinary wear and tear) are to be repaired or replaced by the employer/insurance carrier.
Crutches, artificial members or appliances, which are damaged or made unusable in conjunction with a work injury entitling the employee to disability benefits or medical benefits are to be repaired or replaced by the employer/insurance carrier. Crutches, artificial members or appliances, which are damaged in connection with employee actions taken to avoid a work injury are to be repaired or replaced by the employer/insurance carrier.
Appliances are defined as hearing aids, corrective lenses, orthodontic devices, dentures, orthopedic braces or any other artificial device used to provide function or for therapeutic purposes.
What should an employee do if the employee is dissatisfied with employer-chosen care?
If an employee is dissatisfied with the care chosen by the employer, the employee should discuss the problem with the employer (or its insurance carrier). An employee can request alternate care from the employer (or its insurance carrier). If the employer (or its insurance carrier) does not allow the requested care, the employee may file a petition for alternate care with the Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC).
Must an employer reimburse an employee for mileage traveled to get care for a work injury?
The employer's responsibility to pay for medical care to treat a work injury includes reasonable and necessary travel expenses for care.
What travel expenses relating to care for an employee's work injury may an employer be resonsible for?
Reasonable and necessary travel expenses are payable if the expenses are incurred in the course of treatment of the injury. They may include:
- Mileage incidental to the use of a private auto.
- Meals and lodging if incidental to the examination/treatment.
- Cost of public transportation.
- Taxi fares or other forms of local transportation if incidental to the use of public transportation.
- Ambulance service or other means of transportation.
What is the reimbursement rate for mileage traveled to get medical care for a work injury?
The mileage rate for use of a private car to travel to and from care for a work injury is the business standard mileage rate allowed by the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in effect on July 1 of each year.
Does an employee receive payment for lost wages if the employee is required to leave work for medical treatment for a work injury?
Under certain circumstances, if an employee is required to leave work for care to treat a work injury, the employee may receive payment of lost wages.
Can a medical care provider seek payment of charges from an employee while a contested case is pending before DWC?
A medical care provider cannot seek payment of charges for treatment from an employee while a contested case proceeding or a dispute as to the reasonableness of a medical treatment fee is pending before the Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC).
Must an employee share medical information concerning the employee's physical or mental condition relative to a workers' compensation claim with the employer or insurance carrier?
Any party making or defending a claim for workers' compensation benefits agrees to release all information concerning the employee’s physical or mental condition relative to the claim and waives any privilege for the release of such information. The information must be made available to any party or the party’s representative upon request. This means an employee must share medical information concerning the employee's physical or mental condition relative to a workers' compensation claim with the employer or insurance carrier.
Must an employer or insurance carrier share medical information concerning an employee's physical or mental condition relative to a workers' compensation claim with the employee?
Any party making or defending a claim for workers' compensation benefits agrees to release all information concerning the employee’s physical or mental condition relative to the claim and waives any privilege for the release of such information. The information must be made available to any party or the party’s representative upon request. This means the employer or insurance carrier must share medical information concerning the employee's physical or mental condition relative to a workers' compensation claim with the employee.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Temporary Total Disability (TTD) Benefits
What are TTD benefits?
When an injured worker is off work for more than three calendar days due to a work injury, the worker may be entitled to TTD benefits.
The only difference between TTD benefits and healing period (HP) benefits is HP benefits are paid when the work injury causes a permanent impairment.
When do TTD benefits start?
When an injured worker is off work more than three calendar days due to a work injury, the worker may be entitled to TTD benefits beginning on the fourth day the worker is off work due to the work injury.
If an injured worker misses 14 or more days from work due to the work injury, the worker may be entitled to TTD benefits for the first three days of work missed.
When do TTD benefits end?
TTD benefits continue until whichever happens first:
- The injured worker returns to work; or
- The injured worker is medically recovered enough to return to similar work.
Who pays TTD benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays TTD benefits.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) Benefits
When are TPD benefits payable?
TPD benefits may be payable if the employee returns to work after a work injury and must work a lesser paying job because of the injury.
How is the amount of TPD benefits calculated?
The TPD benefit amount is to be 66 2/3 percent of the difference between the employee’s average gross weekly earnings at the time of the injury and the employee’s actual earnings while temporarily working at the lesser paying job.
When do temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits start?
There is a three-day waiting period before TPD benefits start. TPD benefits begin on the fourth day after you return to work at a lesser paying job because of the work injury.
Who pays TPD benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays TPD benefits.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Healing Period (HP) Benefits
What are healing period (HP) benefits?
If a work injury the injured worker to miss work and causes a permanent impairment, the worker may be entitled to HP benefits.
The only difference between HP benefits and temporary total disability (TTD) benefits is HP benefits are paid when the work injury causes a permanent impairment.
When do HP benefits begin?
There's no waiting period for HP benefits. They begin on the first calendar day after the date of injury.
When do HP benefits end?
HP benefits continue until the first of the following occurs:
- The injured worker returns to work;
- The injured worker recovered as much as anticipated from the injury; or
- The injured worker is medically capable of returning to the same kind of work the worker did when injured.
Who pays HP benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays HP benefits.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits
What are PPD benefits?
An injured worker may be entitled to PPD benefits when the work injury results in:
- A permanent impairment to the worker's body;
- A permanent physical restriction; or
- An inability to earn wages similar to those earned before the work injury.
PPD benefits are payable in addition to any TPD or HP benefits the worker may have received.
When do PPD benefits start?
PPD benefits start when:
- It is medically indicated that maximum medical improvement from the injury has been reached; and
- The extent of loss or percentage of permanent impairment can be determined by use of the American Medical Association (AMA) guides to the evaluation of permanent impairment.
When do PPD benefits end?
The amount of PPD benefits to which an injured worker may be entitled may depend on multiple factors:
- The body party injured;
- The amount of functional impairment caused by the work injury;
- Whether the worker was able to return to work with the same employer;
- The amount of the worker's wages after the injury; and
- Whether the injury is considered to have impacted the worker's earning capacity under Iowa law.
Who pays PPD benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays PPD benefits.
What are Scheduled Member Disabilities?
An employee’s entitlement to PPD benefits when a scheduled member is involved is based on functional impairment. The employee's entitlement to PPD benefits for a scheduled member is determined using the percentage of permanent impairment and the maximum number of weeks allowed under the statutory schedule created by the legislature. Below is a list of the scheduled members along with the value (in number of weeks) for each member.
- Loss of Thumb: 60 weeks
- Loss of 1st Finger: 35 weeks
- Loss of 2nd Finger: 30 weeks
- Loss of 3rd Finger: 25 weeks
- Loss of 4th Finger: 20 weeks
- Loss of Hand: 190 weeks
- Loss of Arm: 250 weeks
- Loss of Great Toe: 40 weeks
- Loss of Any Other Toe: 15 weeks
- Loss of Foot: 150 weeks
- Loss of Leg: 220 weeks
- Loss of Eye: 140 weeks
- Loss of Hearing in One Ear: 50 weeks
- Loss of Hearing in Both Ears: 175 weeks
- Loss of Shoulder: 400 weeks
- Permanent Disfigurement of Face or Head: 150 weeks
NOTE: The disability of the shoulder is calculated as a scheduled member for work injuries that occur on or after July 1, 2017. For work injuries on or before June 30, 2017, the disability of the shoulder resulting from a work injury is calculated as a disability to the body as a whole.
What are Body As A Whole Disabilities?
When an injury results in a permanent disability to the body as a whole, it is referred to as industrial disability. Factors to be considered in determining industrial disability include:
- The employee’s medical condition prior to the injury, immediately after the injury, and presently;
- The situs of the injury, its severity and the length of healing period;
- The work experience of the employee prior to the injury, after the injury and potential for rehabilitation;
- The employee’s qualifications intellectually, emotionally and physically;
- Earnings prior and subsequent to the injury;
- Age;
- Education;
- Motivation;
- Functional impairment as a result of the injury;
- Inability because of the injury to engage in employment for which the employee is fitted; and
- Any loss of earnings caused by a job transfer for reasons related to the injury.
There are no guidelines on how much weight to give any of the factors. Once the degree of the industrial disability is determined, the percentage rating is multiplied by the total value of the body as a whole (500 weeks) to determine the number of weeks payable.
If the employer offers work at the same or greater wage, an injured employee is only entitled to the functional rating until terminated from employment. The employee can request a reopening and determination of industrial disability.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Permanent Total Disability (PTD) Benefits
What are PTD benefits?
When a work injury leaves an employee incapable of returning to gainful employment, the employee may be entitled to PTD benefits.
For how long are PTD benefits payable?
The PTD benefits are payable for as long as the employee remains permanently totally disabled.
Who pays PTD benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays PTD benefits.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Second Injury Fund (SIF) Benefits
What are SIF benefits?
If a worker has had a permanent disability to a hand, arm, foot, leg or eye and then has a job related injury that causes permanent partial disability to another hand, arm, foot, leg or eye, the worker may be entitled to SIF benefits.
These benefits are paid for any amount that industrial disability is greater than the combined scheduled member disability from both the first and second disabled member.
When do SIF benefits start?
SIF benefits start after the employer (or its insurance carrier) has paid all scheduled member permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits due on account of the second injury.
Who pays SIF benefits?
The State of Iowa Treasuer's Office pays SIF benefits.
Who represents SIF in cases before DWC?
The Attorney General of Iowa represents SIF in cases before DWC.
What should you do if you believe you may be entitled to SIF benefits?
If you believe you are entitled to SIF benefits, you may contact an attorney to seek legal advice or the State of Iowa Treasurer’s Office.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Benefits
An injured employee may be eligible for additional workers' compensation benefits while participating in a vocational rehabilitation program recognized by Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS).
What disability qualifies an employee for VR benefits?
In order to be eligible for the vocational rehabilitation program benefit, an employee must:
- Have sustained a permanent partial or permanent total disability that is compensable under Iowa workers' compensation law; and
- Be unable to return to gainful employment because of such disability.
What is the Amount of the VR Benefits?
An injured employee may receive a $100 weekly payment in addition to any other benefit payments while participating in a vocational rehabilitation program recognized by IVRS.
For how long are VR benefits payable?
An injured employee may receive up to 13 weeks of the vocational rehabilitation program benefit.
The Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner may extend an injured worker's vocational rehabilitation benefit for an additional 13 weeks if the circumstances indicate that a continuation of training will in fact accomplish rehabilitation.
Who pays VR benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays VR benefits.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Vocational Education & Training (VET) Benefits for Employees With Shoulder Injuries
An employee who sustains a work injury to a shoulder and is unable to return to gainful employment due to the resulting permanent disability, may qualify to participate in a vocational training and education.
What are the Requirements to qualify for VET benefits?
To qualify for vocational training and education, the employee must meet the following requirements:
- The employee sustained a shoulder injury arising out of and in the course of employment.
- The work injury resulted in permanent partial disability to the employee's shoulder for which compensation is payable under Iowa workers' compensation law.
- The employee is unable to return to gainful employment because of the disability to the shoulder caused by the work injury.
- Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) evaluates the employee and determines the employee would benefit from a vocational education and training program at a community college.
- The employee enrolls in a qualifying community college program within six months of IWD referring the employee to the program.
What fields of education or training does the VET benefit cover?
Only community college training programs resulting in an AA degree or certificate in one of the following fields qualify:
- Iowa High School Equivalency (HiSET)
- Agriculture
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Health Occupations
- Business
- Industrial Technology
- Marketing
What is the process for determining eligibility for VET benefits?
The first step in the process is to apply to IWD for an evaluation. The IWD evaluation includes:
- Career planning
- Assessments
- Identification of accommodations
- Selecting training
More information is available on the IWD website.
If IWD determines the employee would benefit from vocational education and training, it will refer the employee to either:
- The Iowa community college that is in the closest proximity to the employee's residence; or
- Upon agreement of IWD and the employee, to the Iowa community college that offers a vocational training and education program that best meets the employee's needs.
The employee must enroll in the program within six months after IWD makes a referral to a community college or the employee loses eligibility.
What do VET benefits cover?
Employees are eligible for up to $15,000 of financial support for:
- Tuition
- Fees
- Purchase of supplies required to participate in the program
The employer or employer's insurance carrier is billed directly by the community college.
Are periodic status reports required?
The employer or employer's insurance carrier may request a periodic status report each semester from the community college documenting the employee's attendance and participation in and completion of the program.
How do attendance and grades impact eligibility?
An employee's eligibility for continued participation is terminated if the employee does not:
- Meet the attendance requirements of the Iowa community college at which the employee is enrolled; or
- Does not maintain a passing grade in each course in which the employee is enrolled each semester, or the equivalent.
Who pays VET benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays VET benefits.
Return to Benefits Table of Contents
Death Benefits
Who pays for the deceased worker's burial expenses?
For a death caused by a work injury, the deceased worker’s employer (or its insurance carrier) must pay reasonable burial expenses not to exceed twelve times the statewide average weekly wage in effect at the time of death.
Who is entitled to death benefits?
A surviving spouse and the dependents of a worker who dies due to a work injury may be entitled to death benefits.
How long do surviving spouse death benefits last?
A surviving spouse may receive death benefits for life or until remarriage.
If a surviving spouse remarries and the deceased worker has no dependent children at the time of the remarriage, the surviving spouse is entitled to a two-year lump sum settlement.
How long do death benefits last for dependent children?
Dependent children are entitled to death benefits until age 18 or, if actually dependent, age 25.
Can people other than the deceased worker's spouse and children qualify for death benefits?
Other people may qualify for death benefits if they were actually dependent upon the deceased worker.
Who pays death benefits?
The employer, the employer's insurance carrier, or a third-party administrator pays death benefits.