Tennessee governor wants changes to workers’ compensation

Workers’ compensation laws affect a large percentage of our state’s population. Governor Bill Haslam seems to have taken this into consideration, and has listed Tennessee’s workers’ compensation system as a top priority for 2013. The governor is speaking out about reforming the system and working to establish new legislation designed to help injured workers and their families get the help that they need following an on-the-job accident.

One of the new pieces of legislation that the governor wants to reform includes creating clearer standards for causation in regards to identifying that the injury occurred as a result of employment and not an unrelated incident. There is also talk that medical treatment guidelines may be adopted in order for physicians to have a standard guideline to follow. However, the biggest aspect of the proposed legislation has to do with the court system.

According to reports, the governor wants to establish a Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims as a part of the state’s Division of Workers’ Compensation. The idea is that such a court could relieve the civil courts from handling workers’ compensation claims. Given the fact that such claims can be arduous and complex, this new court could help provide a more efficient means of working through claims.

Any worker can be injured on the job, no matter what the profession. When it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim, the process may be as individual and complex as the worker and his or her situation. Tennessee workers may feel relieved to know that the state’s governor wants to ensure that anyone injured at work is equipped with the necessary tools to file for the benefits that they need.

Source: Business Insurance, “Workers compensation reform a top priority for Tennessee governor,” Roberto Ceniceros, Feb. 1, 2013