Tennessee Workers? Compensation Notice Law

September 4th, 2005 Posted by Nicole

I was recently researching updates to states’ poster posting laws when I came across a recent update in Tennessee. The Tennessee government revised the Workers’ Compensation posting as of September 2005. It is mandatory that all employers post the latest poster so that employees are made aware of the current laws and regulations.

When it comes to workers’ compensation, it is mandatory that employers that have over 4 employees have workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance ensures that if an employee becomes disabled or injured on the job, that the employer will still be able to pay benefits.

If an employ suffers injury or occupational disease that is covered by the Workers’ Compensation Act, then the employee shall be entitled to vocational rehabilitation services, including retraining and job placement. If the employee is injured in a way that makes it impossible for him or her to return to the job that he or she left, then the employer must pay for that retraining and physical therapy, if needed.

There are a variety of disabilities that workers can claim if they are injured on the job. Some disabilities are long-term and permanent while others are temporary. Additionally, an employer is responsible if an employee has permanent disfigurement. When an employer is “responsible” for an employee, it means that the employer must assure that his workers’ compensation insurance covers the cost of the employee’s medical bills, including physical therapy and retraining.

Many employees that have to receive workers’ compensation benefits are also eligible for disability. If so, then your employee could spend many, many weeks out of the office. Under the terms of the law, you must make a due diligent effort to reaccept and reappoint that employee to his previous position or to a comparable one when he or she returns to work. In the meantime, you may fill the empty position as long as you can bring the injured employee back in a suitable spot.

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