(a) The administrator shall establish a workers’ compensation mediators program to assist injured or disabled employees, persons claiming death benefits, employers and other persons in protecting their rights, resolving disputes, and obtaining information pertinent to workers’ compensation laws and practices.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 50-6-236

  • Administrator: means the chief administrative officer of the bureau of workers' compensation of the department of labor and workforce development. See Tennessee Code 50-6-102
  • Employee: includes every person, including a minor, whether lawfully or unlawfully employed, the president, any vice president, secretary, treasurer or other executive officer of a corporate employer without regard to the nature of the duties of the corporate officials, in the service of an employer, as employer is defined in subdivision (11), under any contract of hire or apprenticeship, written or implied. See Tennessee Code 50-6-102
  • Employer: includes any individual, firm, association or corporation, the receiver or trustee of the individual, firm, association or corporation, or the legal representative of a deceased employer, using the services of not less than five (5) persons for pay, except as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 50-6-102
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) In accordance with rules adopted by the administrator, the mediator shall conduct alternative dispute resolution and the mediator shall:

(1) Mediate all disputes between the parties related to the resolution of a claim for workers’ compensation benefits and assist in the adjustment of claims consistent with this chapter and the policies of the administrator;
(2) Thoroughly inform all parties of their rights and responsibilities under this chapter, including the right of any party to be represented by an attorney of the party’s choice;
(3) Accept all documents and information presented to the bureau relating to the employee‘s wages, medical condition, and any other information pertinent to the resolution of disputed issues and include them in the claim file; and
(4) If the parties reach a full and final settlement, then either the mediator, or one (1) party’s legal representative upon agreement of the parties, shall reduce the settlement to writing and each party, or their representative, shall sign. A settlement reached during alternative dispute resolution proceedings is not effective until it has been approved by a workers’ compensation judge in accordance with the procedure provided in this chapter.
(c)

(1) When mediation is held, a person representing the employee and the employer, or the employer’s insurer, with the authority to settle, shall attend. It shall not be required that the state or its representative who attends mediation have final settlement authority. Parties entering into mediation shall be prepared to mediate all disputed issues at the beginning of mediation and shall mediate all issues in good faith.
(2) When a mediator determines that a party is not prepared to mediate as required or believes a party is not mediating in good faith, the mediator shall include comments to that effect in the dispute certification notice.
(3) The administrator is authorized to promulgate rules to effectuate the purposes of this subsection (c) in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5. The violation of those rules or this subsection (c) may subject the party or their representative to a civil penalty of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) or more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(d)

(1) If the parties are unable to reach settlement of any disputed issues, the mediator shall issue a written dispute certification notice setting forth all unresolved issues for hearing before a workers’ compensation judge.
(2) The dispute certification shall be issued on a form prescribed by the administrator and signed by the assigned workers’ compensation mediator who shall distribute a copy of the signed dispute certification notice to all parties in accordance with rules adopted by the administrator.
(3)

(A) No party is entitled to a hearing before a workers’ compensation judge to determine temporary or permanent benefits or to resolve a dispute over the terms of an agreed settlement of a workers’ compensation claim, unless a workers’ compensation mediator has issued a dispute certification notice setting forth the issues for adjudication by a workers’ compensation judge.
(B) Within five (5) business days after a copy of the dispute certification notice signed by the mediator has been distributed to the parties, any party may, on no more than one (1) occasion for each notice, present a written request that the contents of the dispute certification notice be amended to the mediator who presided over the alternative dispute resolution proceeding.
(C) If a written request to amend the dispute certification notice is presented to the mediator before the expiration of the five (5) business day period provided in subdivision (d)(3)(B), the mediator shall, within three (3) business days after the initial five (5) business day period ends, issue an amended dispute certification notice. If no amended dispute certification notice is signed by the mediator and distributed to the parties, the initial dispute certification notice distributed to the parties pursuant to subdivision (d)(3) shall remain in effect.
(e) A workers’ compensation mediator shall not be an advocate for either party and shall mediate all issues without favor or presumption for or against either party. A mediator shall have no authority to order the provision of workers’ compensation benefits.
(f) Any person employed as a workers’ compensation mediator shall not engage in mediation, litigation, or determination of workers’ compensation claims outside of the workers’ compensation mediator’s duties as a workers’ compensation mediator.
(g) If, following a request by the mediator, a party fails to produce documents, to cooperate in scheduling mediation, or to provide a representative authorized to settle a matter in attendance at mediation, then the mediator may issue a dispute certification notice and include a statement detailing the party’s failure to cooperate, produce documents or to ensure attendance of a representative authorized to settle the claim. On the motion of either party or on the workers’ compensation judge’s motion, a workers’ compensation judge is authorized, but not required, to hold a hearing on the failure to produce documents requested by the mediator, to cooperate in scheduling and to provide a representative who possessed settlement authority. If the workers’ compensation judge determines that the failure lacked good cause or resulted from bad faith, then the workers’ compensation judge may assess the offending party who failed to take the requested action with attorney’s fees and costs related only to the mediation and the hearing. The administrator is authorized to promulgate rules to effectuate the purposes of this subsection (g) in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act.
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