By Chris Acuff, statistical research analyst

As part of the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims’ ongoing efforts to assess the hearing and settlement process, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation will be distributing a brief online questionnaire that attorneys and self-represented parties should receive within the next few days. This survey is similar to the one that many of you completed the last two years and will be used to assess your experiences with our judges from March 2019 to February 2020.

This year, we again ask you to evaluate judges based on five key attributes: legal ability; written decisions; temperament; diligence; and impartiality. We’re asking you to provide a fair and honest evaluation based on these factors and hope that you will take this opportunity to provide valuable feedback as we compare the results to last year’s benchmarks.

Due to the current challenges of administering a paper form, we are asking you to complete an online survey this year. To ensure the integrity and confidentiality of your responses, be assured that submissions are anonymous and surveys will not be used to identify any individual attorney or firm. The survey links you receive will be unique to each judge depending on the case(s) tried or settled over the last year, but no personally-identifying information will be asked or recorded. Additionally, results will be compiled by me; Court staff and judges will only see aggregate results once the survey is completed. We hope that this process will alleviate any concerns you might have regarding confidentiality and will encourage you to participate in this vital assessment.

We know that many of you are likely facing challenges and uncertain times at the moment, and we thank you for your valuable feedback. This year, we are asking you to complete the surveys by Friday, May 1. Thanks for your participation in this important evaluation. We look forward to your responses.