Court Finds Worker Entitled to Realistic-Looking Prosthesis

An injured worker whose mechanical hand made him feel like a “Frankenstein” figure is entitled to receive a more natural-looking hand to wear interchangeably, the Court of Appeals of Iowa decided last week. Nestle USA had denied Allen Conell’s request for a second hand, citing Iowa Code Section 85.27, which limits workers to one set of “reasonable and necessary” prosthetics. Because Conell already had a prosthesis, he could not receive another one through the workers’ compensation system, Nestle argued. A workers’ compensation commissioner accepted ...