Iowa Supreme Court Remands Truck Driver's Disability Claim for Review
The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Kevin Koeller, a truck driver for Cardinal Logistics Management Corp., reviving part of his workers' compensation challenge. The court determined that the state workers' compensation commissioner incorrectly applied the American Medical Association (AMA) impairment guides when reducing Koeller's permanent disability rating. Koeller suffered a shoulder injury in October 2022 while unloading a truck, requiring surgery for a distal clavicle excision. While his physician assigned a 19% permanent impairment rating, the commissioner reduced this to 13% by applying a 25% multiplier to the surgical component, a method upheld by lower courts. The Supreme Court vacated this decision, stating the AMA Guides do not mandate such a multiplier for this specific procedure. The case was remanded for further proceedings. The court also affirmed the commissioner's authority to choose between conflicting expert testimonies, rejecting the insurer's argument that a treating physician's lower opinion should have been prioritized. This ruling clarifies the interpretation of medical guidelines in Iowa workers' compensation cases.
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