Court Rule Changes Are Now in Effect

Effective December 21, 2023, updated program rules are now in effect for the following Tennessee’s Workers' Compensation programs:

• Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
• Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

The most significant rule changes appear in the Appeals Board program rules. They:

• Correct or delete cross-references to other rules and statutes
• Clarify the requirements for an Affidavit of Indigency
• Clarify the contents of the record on appeal
• Expedite the appeal process for appeals of certain kinds of procedural orders
• Address the withdrawal of counsel during the pendency of an appeal
• Simplify the process for submitting a summary of the evidence in lieu of a hearing transcript (which will give self-represented employees an alternative, less expensive method of presenting relevant information to the Appeals Board)
• Clarify the Board’s authority with respect to frivolous appeals to make it more consistent with Supreme Court precedent

Please read the blog post from our Workers' Compensation Appeals Board staff attorney for a summary of these rule changes.

The revisions to the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims include:

• Consolidating various hearing requests into one hearing request
• Reminding the requesting party to file all additional evidence at least 15 days before a hearing
• Allowing a party in a dispositive motion to seek a continuance without an affidavit
• Allowing testimony by telephone or videoconference in compensation hearings upon request and approval by the court
• Requiring the employer to pay the filing fee at the time of the settlement approval

Please read the blog post  from Judge Pamela Johnson for a summary of these rule changes.