On the job injuries can occur in any workplace, and most Tennessee employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover the costs associated with Tennessee on-the-job injuries. An injured employee should tell his or her employer immediately about the injury.
After a worker is injured, his or her employer has several responsibilities under Tennessee workers’ compensation law:
- Fill out a Form C-20, reporting the injury to the workers’ compensation insurer. The employer should make the report even if he or she doesn’t believe the injury is work-related, since it is the insurer’s job to investigate.
- Give the employee a list of at least three physicians to choose from when deciding where to go for care.
- Give the employee the contact information of the workers’ compensation insurance carrier or adjuster.
- Send an employee wage statement to the workers’ compensation insurance carrier or adjuster.
The employee may need to sign a medical waiver and consent form to allow all of this information to be traded among the employer, the chosen physician and the insurance company. Both the employee and employer should fulfill these responsibilities promptly, so that the injured worker can receive proper care and recover as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
Workers’ compensation is meant to protect workers who are injured on the job. When your employer or the insurance company drag their feet, however, it can delay needed treatment and make an already difficult situation worse. At Massey & Associates, P.C., our experienced Tennessee workers’ compensation injury attorneys are dedicated to helping injured workers get the care and compensation they need after an injury. To discuss your case with us free of charge, call (423) 396-0720 today.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
