East Tennessee State University

To receive workers' compensation benefits, you must be injured while performing some activity which falls within your scope of employment. In other words, the accident which causes an injury to you must be related to your work. These are referred to as compensable injuries. Examples of compensable injuries include a clerk who strains a shoulder when lifting an archive box or a highway worker who is hit by a car while controlling traffic at a construction site. You should be aware that not all accidents which happen at work will be compensable under the workers' compensation law. What you are doing when the injury occurs may be more important than where you are.

No clear cut definition is available to describe when an injury is or is not compensable. The best advice for all university employees is to perform the duties of your job in a careful manner and to report any conditions in your workplace which are hazardous to the appropriate officials. It is every employee's responsibility to help prevent accidents and to assist in providing a safe workplace.

Injuries to university employees, visitors and students, while they are at work and/or while they are performing services for the university may be compensable; with claims submitted to the Division of Claims Administration of the State Treasury Department. Accidents to university employees including student workers (classified as RSWP only) should be reported to the immediate supervisor and the Office of Human Resources (439-5364) as soon as possible.  If medical treatment is needed, the State's administrator, Sedgwick Claims Management Services at 1-800-526-2305 or Prime Health Services Network at 1-866-348-3887, provides the name of a provider who is authorized to treat the injury.  A provider must be selected from the State's Directory for full payment of medical bills.  If an unauthorized provider is used, the employee will be responsible for the payment of the bills.  The workers' compensation provider directory for ETSU in Northeast Tennessee includes the following counties: Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, & Washington.  To get a listing of these providers, search here.

Accidents to visitors and students, and/or damage to property should be reported immediately to the Office of the Comptroller.

The failure to file an accident report and/or a claim within a reasonable time may result in denial of the claim.  Contact the Office of Human Resources for additional information on available benefits to injured State employees and how to file for benefits.