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Read. Follow. Verify.Senate File 454 Mandates New American Medical Association Guide Standards for Workers' Compensation Disability Determinations
Last action · February 27, 2025: Subcommittee: Driscoll, Taylor, and Townsend. S.J. 381 .Sponsors: Tom Townsend and 8 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Injured workers seeking benefits must now have their loss or permanent impairment evaluated solely using the most recent annual update to the American Medical Association guides, while lay testimony and agency expertise are prohibited from being used for these determinations.
The legislation shifts workers' compensation evaluations from the older fifth edition published in 2001 to the newest annual updates of the sixth edition for impairment assessments occurring on or after the effective date of the Act.
- Under prior administrative rules, the Iowa workers' compensation commissioner had adopted the fifth edition of the American Medical Association guides published in 2001. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Injured workers
Their permanent partial disability impairment ratings and subsequent compensation amounts will be determined using the most recent annual update of the AMA guides without the use of lay testimony or agency expertise.
Employers and insurers
Workers' compensation liability and payout calculations will be governed strictly by the newest AMA guide updates and medical standards.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What medical standard does Senate File 454 require for determining permanent partial disability impairment?
Can lay testimony or agency expertise be used to determine permanent impairment under the bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 27, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Driscoll, Taylor, and Townsend. S.J. 381 .
- Feb 26, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Workforce. S.J. 365 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transition to Latest AMA Guides
The bill shifts statutory reliance from older adopted editions (such as the 2001 fifth edition) directly to the newest annual update of the most recent edition.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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