By Stephen Sullivan, Managing Editor
Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s recent release of its 2023 annual report, which provides updates on the impact of the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Act of 2013, with a snapshot of changes and progress occurring in calendar year 2022.
The BWC noted that results of the 2013 reforms have been positive and consistent with the legislative intent of being fair to both employees and employers. Key highlights included that the mediation program’s percentage of settlements continued to rise in 2022; the ombudsman program assisted over 16,000 employees and employers in 2022; and the most recent data shows that approximately 72% of injured workers returned to work after their injury and settlement in post-reform cases, compared to 61% in pre-reform cases.