Injured at Work? All About Workers Comp

Work injuries are no joke. Thankfully in Tennessee you have the right to report injuries and illnesses that happen at work (or that you suspect happened from your job); and you have the potential to get paid through workers comp while you heal from your injury. Your employer CANNOT fire you, harass you or punish you at all for submitting a workers comp claim. If they do, you need a lawyer. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about workers comp and being injured at work.

What is workers comp?

Workers Compensation (workers comp) is a sort of insurance. It’s history goes back to the Great Depression, when the US Congress enacted unemployment insurance laws. In a nutshell, it’s money that you and your employer pay into a statewide fund. Then, when workers in Tennessee get injured on the job they can make a claim and get paid while they recover from an injury.

Workers comp will generally pay a little more than half of your usual wage, something like 55-60%. There are caps though, so if you’re a very highly paid professional you might not get that percentage.

I got hurt at work. What should I do?

Immediately report any injury to your boss or HR department. Per the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development website “Employer notification, preferably in writing, is required by law within 15 calendar days of the date of injury or when a physician first tells the employee that his/her injury is work related.”

My Employer Won’t Acknowledge My Injury

Contact The Slaughter Law Firm today. We are ready to help you get the funding you deserve after your injury.