Jbs Swift & Company and American Zurich Insurance Company v. Rosalva Ochoa

MANSFIELD, Justice.

This case presents the question whether Iowa workers’ compensation law prohibits an employee from collecting both permanent partial disability benefits and permanent total disability benefits at the same time when the employee suffers successive injuries at the samé workplace. We find that the general assembly removed the legal barrier to this outcome in 2004. Accordingly, we uphold the commissioner’s award, affirm, the district court judgment, and affirm the decision of the court of appeals.

I. Background Facts and Proceedings.

Rosalva Ochoa began working at JBS Swift &…