Tennessee governor signs workers compensation reform bill into law

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam./ Bloomberg

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a workers compensation reform bill into law on Monday that toughens the requirement for proving an injury is compensable.

Among other measures, S.B. 200 specifies that injuries arise out of and in course and scope of employment only if proven by a preponderance of the evidence that employment contributed more than 50% to causing the injury.

The legislation, sponsored by state Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, also would replace a court-based workers comp adjudication system with an agency whose administrator would be chosen by the governor. That portion of the measure will streamline the state's dispute resolution system, the Washington-based American Insurance Association said.

“This (portion of the) provision, along with others improving the flow of medical information and authorizing the adoption of medical treatment guidelines, will significantly improve the workers compensation system if properly implemented,” the AIA said in a statement.