After a work injury in Tennessee, temporary disability checks are often the most important part of a claim for the injured worker, and a predictable cost for the employer. Tennessee Code § 50-6-234 sets out what happens when those checks stop or change, and how long they continue after the worker reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI).
If an employer has started paying temporary disability benefits and then stops or changes them, the employee may request the assistance of a workers' compensation mediator. The statute carves out two causes: the employee's failure to submit to the employer's requests for reasonable medical examinations by the treating physician, and a final settlement.
| Topic | What § 50-6-234 says |
|---|---|
| Benefits stopped or changed | The employee may request a workers' compensation mediator |
| Causes not covered | Failure to submit to reasonable medical exams by the treating physician, or final settlement |
| No agreement at mediation | The parties may go to a workers' compensation judge after a dispute certification notice |
| After MMI (compensability not contested) | Payments continue until the employee accepts or rejects a job at a wage equal to or greater than the pre-injury wage, within physician restrictions |
| Cap on post-MMI payments | Lesser of 60 days or the impairment-based permanent partial disability value, unless all parties agree |
| Credit | Post-MMI temporary payments are credited against any permanent award |
| Who decides MMI and impairment | The physician selected under § 50-6-204 |
| Return to work | The subsection does not require an employer to return any employee to work |
Source: Tennessee Code § 50-6-234.
From mediator to judge
Mediation comes first. If the dispute is not resolved by agreement, the parties may submit it to a workers' compensation judge, but only after the mediator has issued a dispute certification notice. Deadlines elsewhere in the law still apply, including the one-year filing rule: Most injured Tennessee workers have one year to file a Petition for Benefit Determination before the claim is barred.
Payments after maximum medical improvement
When the injured employee reaches MMI and the employer has not contested compensability, temporary payments continue until the employee accepts or rejects a job offered by any employer at a wage equal to or greater than the pre-injury wage, as long as the employee can do the work within the restrictions set by the selected physician.
Those payments have a ceiling. They may not exceed the lesser of 60 days or the value of the permanent partial disability award calculated solely on the medical impairment, unless all parties agree to go beyond those limits. Whatever is paid is credited against any permanent award. The statute also says nothing in that subsection requires an employer to return any employee to work.
What employers and workers can do now
- Injury notice and the panel of physicians: Tennessee workers generally have 15 days to report a job injury, and most employers then owe them a choice of three doctors.
- Know when the first payment is due: Tennessee workers' comp does not pay lost wages for the first seven days unless the disability lasts 14 days.
- Check the current maximum and minimum weekly benefit rates: Tennessee raised its workers’ comp weekly benefit caps for injuries on or after July 1, 2026.
- Late or denied payments can carry attorney fee exposure: Tennessee’s workers’ comp court can now award attorney fees when an employer unreasonably denies a claim.
- How impairment ratings combine: Tennessee’s 2026 workers’ comp law lets ratings from more than one treating doctor count toward the 10% extraordinary-benefits requirement.
- Confirm your coverage is on file with the state: TDCI’s workers’ comp page says verify coverage online — a certificate may not warn you of cancellation.
This article is informational only. It summarizes Tennessee Code § 50-6-234 and does not promise benefits, coverage, or eligibility. Your policy, the Bureau of Workers' Compensation, and the courts control the outcome of any claim.
Related reading from All Seasons
- Tennessee workers generally have 15 days to report a job injury, and most employers then owe them a choice of three doctors.
- Tennessee workers' comp does not pay lost wages for the first seven days unless the disability lasts 14 days.
- Tennessee raised its workers’ comp weekly benefit caps for injuries on or after July 1, 2026.
- Most injured Tennessee workers have one year to file a Petition for Benefit Determination before the claim is barred.
- Tennessee’s workers’ comp court can now award attorney fees when an employer unreasonably denies a claim.
- TDCI’s workers’ comp page says verify coverage online — a certificate may not warn you of cancellation.
- Tennessee’s 2026 workers’ comp law lets ratings from more than one treating doctor count toward the 10% extraordinary-benefits requirement.
Free policy review
All Seasons Insurance Group offers a free personal policy review. Call 865-263-1400 or visit asigtn.com/get-a-quote/. This article is informational only and does not promise coverage or eligibility; your policy forms control. Seasons change. So should your coverage.
What can I do if my Tennessee temporary disability checks stop?
Under Tenn. Code 50-6-234, if the employer started paying and then stopped or changed the benefits, the employee may request a workers' compensation mediator.
Are there reasons that do not qualify for mediation under this rule?
Yes. The statute excludes a stop or change caused by failing to submit to reasonable medical exams by the treating physician, or a final settlement.
What if mediation does not resolve it?
The parties may submit the dispute to a workers' compensation judge after the mediator issues a dispute certification notice.
Do temporary payments continue after maximum medical improvement?
If compensability is not contested, they continue until the employee accepts or rejects a job at a wage equal to or greater than the pre-injury wage, within restrictions.
How long can those post-MMI payments last?
No longer than the lesser of 60 days or the impairment-based permanent partial disability value, unless all parties agree.
Are post-MMI temporary payments deducted later?
Yes. The statute says the amount is credited against any permanent award.
Does the employer have to give the worker a job back?
Section 50-6-234(b) says nothing in that subsection requires an employer to return any employee to work.
How can All Seasons help after reading this?
Call 865-263-1400 or visit asigtn.com/get-a-quote/ for a free personal policy review. Informational only; no coverage promises. Seasons change. So should your coverage.
