Did you know…?

By Kimberly D. Weaver, paralegal, Knoxville I’m a lover of fun, strange, and weird facts. And when it relates to history, even better. I’m kind of like postman Cliff Clavin from Cheers. Remember as he would saunter up to the bar, order his drink, and out would come a strange fact from the depths of … Continue reading Did you know…?

Bureau Adopts new Teleheath Rules and Choice of Physicians Form

By Judge Dale Tipps, Murfreesboro Telehealth has officially arrived, with the adoption of new “Telehealth for Workers’ Compensation” rules. The rules may be found here. “Telehealth” means “the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies.” Telehealth, a/k/a telemedicine, has been around for a while, but its acceptance and use increased … Continue reading Bureau Adopts new Teleheath Rules and Choice of Physicians Form

New Forms for Death Claims and Hearing Requests

By Judge Pamela B. Johnson, Knoxville Workplace accidents have consequences, which might range from a minor injury, to a catastrophic injury, or even death. In the first eight months of 2021, thirty-six employees have died in the workplace. When an employee’s death arises out of the employment, the claimants are entitled to varying death benefits … Continue reading New Forms for Death Claims and Hearing Requests

Appeals Board simplifies notice procedure with new form

Starting now, parties who wish to appeal an opinion from the Court of Workers' Compensation Claims with the Tennessee Workers' Compensation Appeals Board may use this new form to initiate the appeal. The new form means the Board is doing away with the two separate forms it currently uses (Compensation Hearing Notice of Appeal-LB-1103, and … Continue reading Appeals Board simplifies notice procedure with new form

Bureau Revises Petition for Benefit Determination

By Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer, Nashville In the recent Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board decision Vickers v. Amazon.com, the Board observed that it is "unclear" why the email address to file a petition for benefit determination is that of the ombudsman program rather than the clerk of court, the customary recipient of a pleading. In … Continue reading Bureau Revises Petition for Benefit Determination

More on the SD-2

By Judge Pamela B. Johnson, Knoxville Recap: In my last blog post discussing the Statistical Data Form, I focused on the importance of the form and explained that the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation uses the data collected to complete its Annual Report to the Legislature. The data is also supplied to national organizations that measure the … Continue reading More on the SD-2

Details, Details

By Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer, Nashville In the musical “1776,” after a long, arduous battle over the concept of the Declaration of Independence and the details of its wording, the document is finally ready for a vote. At this point John Adams, who has pushed for the Declaration the whole time, raises an objection to … Continue reading Details, Details

The 411 on the SD1

By Judge Pamela B. Johnson, Knoxville We live in a culture that likes to count and measure things. We budget our households, count our daily steps, and chart our children’s growth, while test scores measure their learning. I’m not immune. I often find myself mentally counting things, and I have developed my own set of … Continue reading The 411 on the SD1