This Iowa bill mandates that employers providing health insurance for fire fighters and peace officers must cover the full cost of health insurance for 24 months for the surviving spouses and children of those killed in the line of duty. It also requires these same employers to pay for 24 months of health coverage for active fire fighters and peace officers who suffer work-related physical disabilities or injuries. Under the new rules, employers are no longer allowed to pass any portion of these insurance premiums to the surviving families or injured workers.
This bill increases the annual reimbursement cap for the Iowa Attorney General's office from $450,000 to $900,000 for services related to the state's Second Injury Fund (a workers' compensation program for employees with prior work injuries). It requires the reimbursement amount to automatically adjust each year based on the Consumer Price Index (adjusted to the nearest $5), ensuring it keeps pace with inflation. The change directly affects the Attorney General's office (which receives the funds) and the Second Injury Fund (which pays the reimbursement). The Commissioner of Insurance must treat this reimbursement as a liability when determining fund funding availability.
This bill establishes a mandatory reemployment case management program for Iowa unemployment claimants, requiring the Department of Workforce Development to provide personalized job assistance within two weeks of a claim filing. It directly affects claimants (who must participate to maintain benefits) and employers (who receive detailed quarterly notifications about benefit payments to specific individuals). Key changes include waiving standard work-search requirements for certain claimants, clarifying burden-of-proof rules in eligibility disputes, and expanding hearing options (phone or in-person) for appeal processes. The bill also updates procedures for notifying employers about benefit charges and contribution rate determinations.
HF 421 extends the deadline for filing workers' compensation claims when an employee cannot get an accurate diagnosis due to delays from an employer-chosen health provider. It allows the filing period to be extended until diagnosis is possible, but only if the delay was solely caused by the provider and the employee made a diligent effort to get care. The bill also changes the definition of "date of injury" to when the employee knew or should have known the injury was work-related and serious enough to permanently affect their job. This applies retroactively to injuries occurring on or after August 1, 2022, directly affecting workers seeking compensation for delayed-diagnosed injuries.
HF 450 updates Iowa's workers' compensation rules for permanent partial disability claims. It requires that the extent of permanent impairment be determined solely using the most recent annual update to the American Medical Association's guides, rather than relying on rules adopted by the workers' compensation commissioner. This change directly affects injured workers seeking permanent partial disability benefits and their employers or insurers. The bill removes the requirement for the commissioner to formally adopt the AMA guides by rule, instead mandating the use of the latest available update for all claims filed after the bill's effective date.
This Iowa bill (SF 454) updates how workers' compensation claims for permanent partial disability are calculated. It requires using the most recent annual update to the American Medical Association's impairment guides (currently the 2024 update to the sixth edition) instead of the commissioner's rule-based adoption of older versions. The change directly affects workers injured on the job who seek permanent partial disability benefits, ensuring their impairment percentage is determined solely by the latest medical guidelines. It also prohibits using lay testimony or agency expertise in specific disability evaluations under these guidelines. The policy applies to all claims filed after the bill's effective date.
This bill changes how Iowa calculates workers' compensation benefits for injured workers. It requires including overtime and premium pay (like shift differentials) in the weekly earnings calculation - currently excluded under law - and adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment tied to Social Security’s disability benefit increase. The change directly affects hourly, shift, and overtime workers, as their benefits will now reflect higher average earnings. The annual adjustment applies specifically to permanent total disability and death benefits, not all compensation. This policy update modifies existing calculation methods without altering benefit eligibility.
This bill changes how Iowa calculates weekly workers' compensation benefits for injured workers. It requires benefits to include overtime and premium pay in the calculation (previously excluded), and adds an annual cost-of-living adjustment based on Social Security's adjustment. These changes apply specifically to injured workers who earned overtime or premium pay before their injury. The law modifies existing calculation methods in Iowa Code §85.36 to ensure benefits reflect their actual pre-injury earnings and adjust for inflation.
This bill requires employers with 15 or more employees to continue health insurance coverage for workers injured on the job (with valid workers' compensation claims) for at least six months after they leave employment, if the employer provided coverage at the time of injury. Employers failing to comply must reimburse employees for uncovered medical costs related to the injury. The bill also clarifies definitions of "independent contractor" in Iowa law (amending Sections 85.61 and 91A.2), specifying criteria like worker independence from employer control and excluding such workers from "employee" definitions for benefits purposes. These provisions apply to injuries occurring on or after the bill's effective date.
This bill (SF 456) gives Iowa workers injured on the job more control over choosing their treating physician under workers' compensation. It allows employees to predesignate a primary care doctor (who has treated them before and is within 60 miles of work) to handle their injury, and requires employers to inform workers of this right. If employers fail to provide this notice, workers can choose any doctor at the employer’s expense. Disputes over doctor choices must be resolved by the workers’ compensation commissioner within 10-14 days, with options for phone or in-person hearings.
