Workers Get Benefits Regardless of Immigration Status, High Court Says

By Sherri Okamoto, Legal ReporterThe Iowa Supreme Court on Friday ruled that an undocumented worker is eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits.Coralville claimant attorney Paul J. McAndrew Jr. said the court's decision in Staff Management v. Jimenez, No. 12-654, brings Iowa in line with the vast majority of states that recognize a worker's right to assert a comp claim regardless of his or her immigration status. McAndrew said that the ruling was "a boon for human dignity and fairness in the workplace for all workers," and for undocumented workers, "it means that the...