Most Iowa employers are required to provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees. However, there are certain instances in which a worker may not be entitled to reimbursement for medical bills and lost wages even if they have been hurt on the job. There are several questions that a company may need to ask when determining if an individual has experienced a legitimate workplace injury.
Was the employee under the influence of drugs or alcohol?
In most cases, employees who are under the influence of controlled substances when an accident occurs are not eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. This may be true even if a worker had a prescription for the substance that he or she was using prior to getting hurt.
Was the employee hurt while performing a task for the company?
People are generally allowed to collect workers’ compensation benefits if they are hurt while doing something that benefits their employer. Therefore, a worker might be eligible to receive compensation if they were injured while working at home or while making a delivery.
Did an injured worker act in an unsafe manner prior to an accident?
If an accident happens while an employee is engaged in horseplay, they may not be eligible to file a workers’ compensation claim. The same may be true if they willfully disregarded a safety plan when taking an action that led to an injury. A workers’ compensation defense attorney may be able to review video footage, witness statements or other records to determine if this may have been true in your case.
