When an injury happens at the workplace, employees can receive workers’ compensation as coverage for any damages resulting from the accident that caused it. Individuals in these situations often have many questions about the process. This can include:
Who is Required to Carry Insurance
Under the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law, certain employers are required to provide insurance benefits. This ensures injured employees are able to receive medical treatment, wage replacements, and fair competition. The following employers are required to have workers’ compensation insurance for their employees:
- All employers in construction businesses or trades
- Employers who have five or more employees
- Employers in coal mining industries
- Family members, part-time employees, and corporate officers if their employees meet the definition of “employee”
How Are Claims Filed?
After an injury at work, an employee should report it to their supervisor within 15 days of the injury or when their doctor informs them of the injury. Once this is done, a claim can be reported. Tennessee has strict claims handling standards for adjusters and employees. This is to ensure injuries are reported in a correct and timely manner. Employers must submit all known or reported situations to their insurance carriers, unless they are self-insured, within one working day of their knowledge of the injury. Reportable injuries or illnesses are ones that cause:
- An employee to receive medical treatment outside the employer’s premises
- Their death
- Their absence from work or the retention of permanent impairment
What Benefits Can I Receive?
There are several benefits available under the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law. This can include:
- Temporary disability benefits: This covers a portion of the employee’s lost wages while they recover from their injury or illness. These are payable until they can earn their regular wages or the condition is no longer believed to improve. The two types of temporary disability that may be given are temporary total or temporary partial disability.
- Permanent disability benefits: This can include permanent total or partial disability. Total is payable as long as the individual cannot perform work. Partial is paid if the individual is only partially disabled.
- Death benefits: This is payable if the incident results in the death of an employee.
What Do I Do if My Claim is Denied?
Workers’ compensation insurance claims are denied when an employer’s insurance adjuster does not believe the applicant’s injury is compensable. This means that their injury is not believed to have been caused by the work they perform and is not covered by workers’ compensation. If a claim is denied, it is important to know that the decision can be challenged.
Contact
If you have become the victim of an on the job injury, it may be beneficial to speak with an attorney and the doctor that is treating you to determine how to make the process as easy as possible. AllianceMeds understands that a workplace accident can be challenging and is here to help. We will deliver your medication to your door using overnight delivery and cover any out of pocket expenses that may arise. If you have any questions about how we can help, contact AllianceMeds today.