Des Moines Disability And Injury Legal Blog

Many people in Iowa and across the nation find themselves experiencing chest pain, which can be a symptom of many medical conditions. Some of these ailments are minor in nature, such as a pulled back muscle, while others are much more serious, like a heart attack or some sort of heart disease. For those in the latter group, their diagnosis and prognosis, in conjunction with the seriousness of their symptoms, may leave them unable to work. This can be problematic for a number of reasons, but most obviously it disallows them from paying for their needed medical treatment and prevents them from paying their day-to-day living expenses.

Fortunately, those who find themselves in this situation may be able to seek Social Security disability benefits. However, to do so they must prove that they meet certain federal requirements. To see an example, we'll take a look at chronic heart failure, a medical condition that affects a fair number of Iowans.

Some workplace accidents in Iowa are relatively minor, allowing a worker to get back on the job quickly. Other workers, though, suffer more extensive injuries that require a wide variety of medical treatment and a significant recovery time. The individuals in the latter group often struggle to find financial stability during a time when they are unable to work and they are in need of costly health care. In these circumstances, it becomes even more important for injured workers to competently seek workers' compensation benefits.

Fortunately, the state provides a table that helps injured workers who qualify for benefits determine how long they can receive benefits while they recover. For example, an individual who loses 100 percent of his ability to use his thumb can receive workers' compensation benefits for up to 60 weeks. An individual who loses 100 percent of their whole body can receive benefits for 500 weeks. Those who only suffer a portion of loss, such as 25 percent of the use of their thumb, can multiply that percentage by the maximum number of weeks under full disability.

A traumatic brain injury can occur in a number of ways. An individual in Iowa may be seriously hurt in a car accident, a workplace incident or a slip-and-fall accident. Some are even born with traumatic brain injuries. Regardless of how the injury is suffered, victims are often left with a hard road ahead of them. They may struggle to care for themselves on a day-to-day basis, which usually means that they are unable to work, too. When this is the case, a traumatic brain injury sufferer may be able to seek Social Security disability benefits to offset some of their financial losses.

To qualify for SSD benefits, an individual must meet federal requirements. This can be accomplished in one of a number of ways. The first way to qualify is to show that an individual suffers from extreme limitations due to problematic motor functioning involving at least two extremities. These limitations must affect basic skills such as standing, walking or using one's arms. In addition, the limitations must be expected to last for at least three months post-injury.

The construction industry is a dangerous one. Construction workers in Iowa are often tasked with performing their job duties near heavy machinery and moving vehicles, they are often exposed to toxic substances and they frequently operate at great heights. While regulations are in place to ensure that these workers are as safe as possible while on the job, the sad reality is that many of them wind up injured in workplace accidents.

One way these accidents occur is by scaffolding falls. About two-thirds of all construction workers carry out tasks on scaffolds, which puts them at risk of suffering injuries in a fall. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates the design and construction of this equipment, mandating that each scaffold hold its own weight in addition to four times the maximum allowable load. In addition, every support rope must be able to handle at least six times the maximum load.