For injured workers

Hurt at work? Here's what happens now.

Workers' compensation has its own rules, its own paperwork, and its own vocabulary. This page walks you through all of it in plain language — so you can focus on getting better.

This page is general education about the Iowa workers' compensation process, not legal advice. Your claim is governed by Iowa law and the facts of your case. For legal questions, talk with a workers' compensation attorney; for benefit disputes, the Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation is the deciding body.

First things first

Four steps that protect your health — and your claim.

If it's an emergency, get care now

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. In a true emergency, Iowa law lets you choose your own care if your employer can't be reached. Everything else can wait until you're safe.

Report the injury to your employer

Tell your supervisor as soon as possible — in writing if you can, and keep a copy. Iowa law requires your employer to have notice within 90 days of when you knew (or should have known) the injury was work-related. Waiting can cost you your benefits. Many employers also have their own 24-hour reporting policies — follow them.

Follow your employer's direction for care

In Iowa, your employer (or its insurance carrier) has the right to choose the treating doctor for a work injury. For your visit here to be covered, it generally needs to be authorized by the employer or carrier — our team can help confirm authorization before you're seen.

Come see us — prepared

Once your visit is authorized, we'll get you in quickly. Bring the items in the checklist below so your first appointment is spent on your spine, not on paperwork.

Your first visit

What to bring. What to expect.

Bring with you

Your claim number and the name and phone number of your insurance adjuster
Your employer's name and contact for work injuries (HR or supervisor)
Photo ID
Any prior records, imaging discs, or reports related to this injury
A written description of your job's physical demands, if your employer provides one
A list of your current medications

What happens at the visit

A full history and exam focused on your injury and how it happened
Imaging review — or same-day X-rays when needed
An honest conversation about treatment: conservative care first — therapy, medication, injections — with surgery only when it's truly indicated
A work status form completed before you leave — one copy for you, one sent to your employer and the carrier the same day, so nobody is guessing about your restrictions

The road, in order

From injury to resolution — what the path looks like.

Every claim is different, but most follow the same arc. The orange point is the one that drives the big decisions in your claim.

Day 0Injury & reportGet care, then tell your employer — Iowa law requires notice within 90 days.

First weeksAuthorized visitOnce the carrier authorizes care, you're seen quickly — with a work status form the same day.

Weeks–monthsConservative careTherapy, medication, and injections first. Surgery only when it's truly indicated.

The pivotMaximum medical improvementHealed as far as expected. Ratings, permanent restrictions, and benefits key off this date.

At MMIRating & return to workAn impairment rating if there's permanent loss, and a return to work within your restrictions.

Timeline is illustrative — a straightforward strain may reach MMI in weeks; a surgical injury can take many months. Your restrictions and dates come from your own exam, not this chart.

The vocabulary

Six terms you'll hear — decoded.

These words carry legal weight in your claim. Here's what they mean in plain English.

TTD

Temporary total disability

Weekly payments you may receive while you're off work healing, generally starting after you've missed more than three days due to the injury.

RESTRICTIONS

Work restrictions / light duty

The specific limits your doctor sets — how much you can lift, how long you can stand — written on your work status form. Your employer may offer modified work within those limits.

MMI

Maximum medical improvement

The point where your condition has healed as much as it's expected to. It doesn't mean you're perfect — it means further major recovery isn't anticipated. Important decisions in your claim key off this date.

RATING

Impairment rating

At MMI, if you have permanent loss of function, a doctor assigns a percentage using the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. That number helps determine your permanent disability benefits.

FCE

Functional capacity evaluation

Physical testing, usually with a physical therapist, that measures what you can safely lift, carry, and do — used to set your permanent restrictions.

IME / SECOND OPINION

Independent medical examination

An evaluation by a doctor who isn't your treating physician. Iowa law also gives you the right, once the carrier's doctor rates you, to an examination by a doctor of your own choosing with the employer paying part of the cost.

Hurt at work? Here's what happens now.

Four steps that protect your health — and your claim.

What to bring. What to expect.

From injury to resolution — what the path looks like.

Six terms you'll hear — decoded.

Asked at nearly every work comp visit.

Call the work comp line.