House Study Bill 247 



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE
                                            ON LABOR BILL BY
                                            CHAIRPERSON OLSON)


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act requiring additional workers' compensation payments for
  2    scheduled injuries that result in a reduction in the injured
  3    employee's earning capacity.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 1884HC 83
  6 av/rj/14

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 85.34, subsection 2, Code 2009, is
  1  2 amended by adding the following new paragraph:
  1  3    NEW PARAGRAPH.  w.  If an employee sustains an injury
  1  4 described in paragraphs "a" through "t" and is unable to
  1  5 return to employment providing substantially similar earnings
  1  6 to the earnings provided in the employment in which the
  1  7 employee was engaged at the time of the injury, compensation
  1  8 shall be paid during the number of weeks in relation to five
  1  9 hundred weeks as the reduction in the employee's earning
  1 10 capacity bears in relation to the earning capacity that the
  1 11 employee possessed when the injury occurred.  If the employee
  1 12 is permanently and totally disabled as a result of such an
  1 13 injury the employee may be entitled to benefits under
  1 14 subsection 3.
  1 15                           EXPLANATION
  1 16    This bill amends Code section 85.34 to provide that for
  1 17 purposes of workers' compensation, an employee who sustains a
  1 18 scheduled injury and is unable to return to employment
  1 19 providing substantially similar earnings to that of the
  1 20 preinjury employment earning capacity, shall be paid
  1 21 compensation during the number of weeks in relation to 500
  1 22 weeks as the reduction in the employee's earning capacity
  1 23 caused by the disability bears in relation to the earning
  1 24 capacity that the employee possessed when the injury occurred.
  1 25 LSB 1884HC 83
  1 26 av/rj/14