Workers' comp claim denied in Tennessee: what to do next

Call the Bureau's free Ombudsman Program at 1-800-332-2667 (Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central). An ombudsman helps workers who do not have a lawyer: contacting the adjuster, completing forms, and getting medical records.

Your employer's insurer, not the state, usually decides first. If they deny or delay, the free help listed here can explain your options.

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Deadlines are strict. If you are near one, call the state agency or free help today.

If your claim is denied or delayed in Tennessee

Who decides: Bureau of Workers' Compensation: mediation, then the Court of Workers' Compensation Claims; appeals to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board
First step: Call the Bureau's free Ombudsman Program at 1-800-332-2667 (Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central). An ombudsman helps workers who do not have a lawyer: contacting the adjuster, completing forms, and getting medical records. To protect your rights, file a Petition for Benefit Determination.
Form: Petition for Benefit Determination (PBD)
Deadline: In most cases, file the Petition for Benefit Determination within 1 year from the date of injury or from the date temporary disability benefits were last paid or medical benefits last provided, whichever is latest. After mediation ends without agreement, you have 60 days from the filing of the Dispute Certification Notice to request a hearing.
Medical disagreements: If the insurance company's utilization review denies treatment your authorized treating physician recommended, you, your attorney, or the doctor can appeal the denial to the Bureau's Utilization Review Program. The authorized treating physician's opinion on whether the injury was caused by work is presumed correct; another doctor's opinion must overcome that presumption.
: Employee's Choice of Physician (Form C-42)
Appealing the decision: Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, then the Tennessee Supreme Court.

File a Petition for Benefit Determination with the Bureau's court clerk and give a copy to your employer and/or the insurance carrier.
A Bureau mediator contacts everyone and tries to resolve the dispute by phone, video, or in person.
If there is no agreement, the mediator issues a Dispute Certification Notice (DCN). You have 5 business days to ask for missing issues to be added; only the issues listed on the DCN can be decided by the judge.
Within 60 days after the DCN is filed, request a hearing (expedited hearing, status hearing, or scheduling hearing) before a judge of the Court of Workers' Compensation Claims.
Appeal an expedited hearing order to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board within 7 business days, or a final compensation order within 30 calendar days (filed with the trial court clerk).
After the Appeals Board decides, you can appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court within 30 calendar days. A final compensation order can also be appealed directly to the Supreme Court.

Law: Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 50-6-203, 50-6-217, 50-6-236 to 50-6-239

Source: tn.gov

Sources

The official sources for Tennessee are listed on the Tennessee page.

National rules that may also matter

Not covered by state workers' comp?

These federal programs and laws cover some groups of workers instead of, or in addition to, state workers' compensation. If one of them may apply to you, check its rules and deadlines too. They are different from your state's.

Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA): Civilian employees of the federal government, including Postal Service employees. Official page

Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (Longshore Act): Maritime workers such as longshore workers, harbor workers, ship repairers, shipbuilders and ship-breakers, hurt on navigable waters of the United States or on an adjoining pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal or other area used to load, unload, repair or build ships. Some groups are excluded. Official page
Longshore maximum and minimum for October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 (fiscal year 2027): maximum $2,163.92 a week, minimum $540.98 a week.

Law: 33 U.S.C. 906(b); DOL Longshore NAWW table

Defense Base Act: Civilian employees working outside the United States on U.S. military bases or under a contract with the U.S. government for public works or national defense. Claims are handled by the Longshore program. Official page

Federal Black Lung Program: Coal miners who are totally disabled by black lung disease (pneumoconiosis) from coal mine work, and survivors of miners whose deaths were caused by it. Official page

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program: Current or former employees of the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors and subcontractors, and certain uranium miners, millers and ore transporters, who became ill from toxic exposures such as radiation, beryllium or silica at covered work sites, and their survivors. The program is set up by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Official page

Railroad workers (Federal Employers' Liability Act): Employees of railroads in interstate commerce. Instead of a workers' compensation claim, a federal law lets an injured railroad worker sue the railroad for damages caused by its negligence.

Seamen (Jones Act): A seaman injured in the course of employment may bring a lawsuit against the employer, with the right to a jury trial, under the same federal rules that apply to railroad workers.

National help

Your state workers' compensation agency answers questions about claims. Many have a free help line, an ombudsman or information officers for injured workers.

The Legal Services Corporation funds 129 nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state, D.C. and the territories. Enter your address on its website to find one near you. You can also look up legal information and free forms at LawHelp.org. Whether a local program handles workers' compensation cases varies.

LawHelp.org