Governor Signs Pro-Business Workers' Compensation Legislation

Gov. Terry Branstad signed legislation Thursday that will reduce the costs of workers’ compensation for employers. House File 518, which regulators say sparked a rash of petitions for benefits by claimants’ attorneys rushing to get their cases heard under the old rules, designates shoulders as scheduled injuries, which reduces the size of awards by disallowing ratings based on whole-body impairment. The bill also limits legal fees, frees employers from liability for pre-existing disabilities and denies benefits to workers who test positive for drugs or alc...