Worker's Compensation

If an employee is injured, or contracts an occupational disease while in the course and scope of their job, they are covered under Workers’ Compensation laws.  It is the employee’s responsibility to notify their immediate supervisor and the Human Resource Director of an injury immediately.  If the employee determines that their injury does not warrant a visit to the urgent care facility at that time, they still need to notify their immediate supervisor and complete the required documents.

⦁ Employees should NOT go to their own doctor. If an employee goes to his or her own primary care physician or specialist, they assume responsibility for any services they receive, and they will not be covered by workers' compensation.
⦁ All employees must go to Smoky Mountain Urgent Care or Swain County Hospital.

Worker’s Comp Procedures If not Seeking Medical Treatment

1. Employee must complete a Form 19

The employee must understand that if they later choose to go to their primary care doctor, worker’s comp will not pay. They must go thru Urgent Care or Swain County Hospital, even if they initially opted not to be seen by a physician.

Worker’s Comp Procedures If Seeking Medical Treatment

1. Employee must complete a Form 19
If the injury is severe, send them on to urgent care or the hospital, and they may complete paper work later that day. All employees must go to Smoky Mountain Urgent Care or Swain County Hospital. These two are the only approved initial treatment facilities for injured employees. Call Smoky Mountain Urgent Care at 538-4546 and let them know an employee of Swain County Schools will be arriving due to a work related injury. There are exceptions. Issues requiring transportation by EMS will be taken to Swain County Hospital ER.

2. Provide the employee a Form 18 (Do not assist the employee with completing this form.)

3. A worker’s compensation adjuster will be assigned to your claim. The adjuster will contact you and investigate your claim to approve or deny.

4. An Urgent Care physician may refer you to a specialist, if needed. The worker’s compensation adjuster will contact you prior to seeing a specialist. Please do not make your own appointment.

5. If an Urgent Care physician takes an employee out of work, it is the employee’s responsibility to contact his or her supervisor/principal about absences and work status. The employee will be required to use his or her own leave for the first seven (7) days. If the employee is approved and out of work for more than 21 days, workers' compensation will pay for the first seven (7) days. The employee will be paid 66 2/3 percent of his or her salary by workers' compensation while out of work. If the employee has leave available, Swain County Schools will pay 1/3 of the employee’s salary. Once the employee’s leave is exhausted, the employee will only receive the 66 2/3 percent from worker’s compensation. No holiday pay is available while employees are out of work. FLMA is available to employees who are out of work for an extended period of time. Worker’s compensation will pay the employee for the entire day on the day of the injury only; all other appointments (follow-up, etc.) are on the employee’s time, and leave must be taken if the employee’s time is short for that week.

6. If an Urgent Care physician puts an employee on modified duty (job restriction), the employee should contact his or her supervisor/principal. Swain County Schools will provide modified duty until the employee is released to return to full duty.

Workers' Compensation Forms

Form 19, REQUIRED FOR ALL CLAIMS
Form 18 (employee may complete and submit to industrial commission on their own) 

• Form_19 Report of Injury (REQUIRED)

• Form_18 Notice of Accident