By Jane Salem, staff attorney, Nashville Welcome back to my annual review of last year’s Appeals Board opinions. Of course, for years to come, mention of the word “2020” will spark memories of the pandemic. But do you know how many Board opinions actually involved COVID-19? Just a couple so far, and tangentially only. But … Continue reading 2020 Opinions, Revisited, Part two
Month: January 2021
A Look Back at 2020 Appeals Board Opinions, part one
By Jane Salem, staff attorney, Nashville What a year! The memes abound about 2020, most of which contain language or images unsuitable for this forum. (Here are a few from Reader’s Digest that are less likely to offend.) But regardless of last year’s tragedies, disruptions of our work and personal activities, and social and political … Continue reading A Look Back at 2020 Appeals Board Opinions, part one
Phoning it in
By Judge Robert Durham, Cookeville In this new world we have to share with COVID-19, many of our traditional ways of doing things have been challenged or even eliminated. One of those is in-person settlement approvals, which simply aren’t feasible while social-distancing. However, the Court’s duty remains to see that injured workers understand what their … Continue reading Phoning it in
It’s Time to Change
By Penny Shrum, Court Clerk, Nashville Over the past six years, admittedly, a lot has changed in workers’ compensation in Tennessee. You have graciously adapted to these changes. We know change can be hard. But when faced with the prospect of change, we suggest you look to the wisdom of the Brady Bunch: “when it’s … Continue reading It’s Time to Change
Let’s Banish Some Words
By Jane Salem, staff attorney, Nashville When you grow up the daughter of an English teacher, alongside six siblings who all earned a degree in one form or another in English … well, you become a grammar nerd, whether or not you like it. If my older brother, the retired college English professor, saw what … Continue reading Let’s Banish Some Words
From the Bench 