Hearing Loss/Tinnitus

There are multiple statutes under Iowa law which provide benefits for occupational hearing loss, loss of hearing, and a condition known as tinnitus (ringing in the ears). You may have suffered an occupational hearing loss due to significant exposure to noise in the workplace over a period of time. Iowa law covers such injuries under Chapter 85B. Chapter 85B occupational hearing loss claims are very specifically outlined and have many rules that require an injured worker to give notice and file a complaint within a certain specified timeline. These timelines and rules are very different from the typical workplace injury. These claims, therefore, call for someone who is very familiar with this portion of Iowa law and has handled these cases in the past.

You may have suffered a loss of hearing due to a single workplace incident. This is often the case if you have been exposed to a significantly loud or traumatic event. We have represented injured workers who have experienced hearing loss following things such as tires bursting, explosions, or even suffering a direct blow to the head or ears. These types of single event traumas also provide benefits, but typically under Chapter 85 of Iowa law.

Also compensable under Iowa law is a form of hearing loss known as tinnitus. If you suffer from tinnitus, you know the very real and significant symptoms that accompany this diagnosis. Most injured workers describe tinnitus as a ringing in their ears or head. This ringing may alter your ability to sleep, hear, and concentrate. These injuries are compensable as body as a whole claims and, therefore, focus on how the tinnitus impacts your ability to earn a living. If the tinnitus results in you needing to be removed from certain workplace environments, or results in a loss of sleep and concentration that affects your ability to do certain types of employment or employment-related duties, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation under Iowa law. Tinnitus may result from either a single traumatic incident, or can be the result of years of exposure to noise in the workplace.

These claims require the involvement of medical specialists trained in the treatment and evaluation of tinnitus. It is important that you work with an attorney who knows these medical issues and knows the various medical experts in this field so that you may properly be treated and compensated for these injuries. It was the attorneys at Wertz & Dake who convinced the Iowa Supreme Court to establish the law allowing injured workers to be fully compensated when tinnitus arises from workplace activities.

We would be happy to assist you in obtaining the compensation that you and your family deserve for any loss of hearing, occupational hearing loss, or tinnitus that has resulted from your work.