When an employee is injured on the job, the employee has a responsibility to report the injury to his/her supervisor, human resources representative, or the Workers' Comp liaison. Under Risk Management guidelines, the “First Report of Injury” should be filed with Workers' Comp within seven days of the date of injury. The claim process should happen as follows: if medical attention is required, seek medical attention at a preferred provider if at all possible.

Seek medical attention (if required):

Workers Compensation Fund provided a list of Preferred Providers. If possible, please seek medical attention at one of these locations.

Complete Workers' Compensation forms:

The employee or supervisor should complete the Incident Report Form and Form 122 and submit them to the Courts HR Department at courtsHR@utcourts.gov. The same process applies to probationers. If workplace injuries occur, the probationer, probation staff, or the parent/guardian should complete the Incident Report Form and Form 122.

Workers Compensation Coverage:

The date of injury is not covered by Workers' Compensation no matter what time the injury occurred, even if it is one minute after the shift starts or walking into the building to get to work. After the date of injury, there is a three-day waiting period unless they are off work for 15 calendar days or more. If the date of injury was 11/1/06, the three-day waiting period would be 11/2, 11/3, and 11/4. Workers' Compensation would not pay for these days unless the employee was off work for 15 days or more. For example, if the date of injury was 11/1 and the employee returned to work on 11/16 or any day before 11/16, Workers' Compensation would not be paid for the 3-day waiting period. However, if the employee was off work and didn’t return until 11/17 or later, Workers' Compensation would be paid starting the day after the injury. Typically, the employee will use their own leave while waiting for approval from Workers' Compensation. The employee can “buy back” eligible hours if the claim is approved. The three-day waiting period is only eligible for “buy back” if the employee is off work for 15 or more calendar days. The employee can also choose to enter a “Leave without Pay – Industrial” status.

Workers Compensation Checks:

Employees have the option to keep the checks if they choose to go “Leave without Pay.”  If the employee chooses to use their own leave, the Workers' Compensation checks should be turned over to the Courts Finance Department, and leave reimbursement will be calculated and reinstated.