The opinion
FILED
May 07, 2026
12:19 PM(CT)
TENNESSEE COURT OF
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
CLAIMS
TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS
AT MEMPHIS
LLOYD JOHNSON, Docket No. 2025-80-5066
Employee,
v. State File No. 860234-2025
LIFELINE TO SUCCESS,
Employer. Judge Shaterra R. Marion
EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER DENYING BENEFITS
The Court held an expedited hearing on April 28, 2026, where Mr. Johnson
sought payment of medical bills and temporary disability benefits. Lifeline to
Success did not appear. For the reasons below, the Court holds that Mr. Johnson is
not likely to show at a hearing on the merits that he is entitled to benefits.
Claim History
Mr. Johnson was working when a coworker struck him in the head with a
stick. He called the police, then went to the hospital and received stitches in his head.
He stated he returned to work and could not get time off. A couple of days after his
work injury, his boss “went to jail for fraud,” so he has not had contact with her. He
could not return to Lifeline because of his boss’s fraud case. He later learned that
Lifeline did not have workers’ compensation insurance.
Along with his testimony, Mr. Johnson submitted health insurance claim
summaries, which show that his share of the cost for his treatment totaled $0.00. He
did not submit medical records or bills.
Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law
Mr. Johnson must prove he would likely prevail at a hearing on the merits.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(6) (2025); McCord v. Advantage Human
Resourcing, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 6, at *7-8, 9 (Mar. 27, 2015).
An employer must “furnish, free of charge to the employee, such medical and
surgical treatment . . . made reasonably necessary by accident.” Id. § 50-6-
204(a)(1)(A). An injury means “an injury by accident . . . arising out of and in the
course and scope of employment that causes . . . the need for medical treatment.” Id.
§ 50-6-102(12).
Mr. Johnson testified that he went to the hospital and received stitches.
However, he did not submit any medical records or bills to show that the treatment
and bills were reasonable or necessary. Further, Mr. Johnson’s evidence showed his
out-of-pocket costs totaled $0.
On his request for temporary total disability benefits, “[a]n injured worker is
eligible for temporary disability benefits if: (1) the worker became disabled from
working due to a compensable injury; (2) there is a causal connection between the
injury and the inability to work; and (3) the worker established the duration of the
period of disability.” Jones v. Crencor Leasing and Sales, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp.
App. Bd. LEXIS 48, at *7 (Dec. 11, 2015).
Mr. Johnson did not show that he became disabled from working, and even if
he did, he did not establish the duration of disability. He testified he returned to work
and could not get time off. He also stated he stopped working due to his boss’s arrest,
not his injury. He gave no testimony on whether and for how long his injury
prevented him from working.
Mr. Johnson is thus not likely to show at a hearing on the merits that he is
entitled to payment of medical bills or temporary total disability benefits.
Further, had Mr. Johnson shown his entitlement to medical bills and
temporary total disability benefits, he must still prove his eligibility to receive
assistance from the Uninsured Employers Fund. These requirements include proof
that:
Lifeline failed to carry workers’ compensation insurance;
He suffered a compensable injury
He was a Tennessee resident on the date of injury, and,
He notified the Bureau of his injury and his employer’s inability to secure
payment of compensation.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-801(d).
Mr. Johnson failed to show that he was a Tennessee resident on the date of his
injury or present any evidence other than his testimony that Lifeline did not have
workers’ compensation insurance.
IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED as follows:
1. Mr. Johnson’s request for benefits is denied at this time.
2. The Court sets a status conference for June 29, 2026, at 11:00a.m. Central
Time. The parties must call (866) 943-0014 to participate. Failure to call may
result in a determination of the issues without the party’s participation
ENTERED May 7, 2026.
____________________________________
JUDGE SHATERRA R. MARION
Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
APPENDIX
Exhibits:
1) Medical Claim Summaries submitted by Mr. Johnson
2) Affidavit of Mr. Johnson
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that a copy of this Order was sent on May 7, 2026.
Regular
Name Email Service sent to:
Lloyd Johnson,
Employee X X
Vinessa Brown, 1647 Dellwood Ave.
Employer X X Memphis, TN 38127
Representative vbrown@lifeline2success.org
La Shawn Pender, lashawn.pender@tn.gov
UEF Program X
Coordinator
____________________________________
PENNY SHRUM, COURT CLERK
wc.courtclerk@tn.gov
Right to Appeal:
If you disagree with the Court’s Order, you may appeal to the Workers’ Compensation
Appeals Board. To do so, you must:
1. Complete the enclosed form entitled “Notice of Appeal” and file it with the Clerk of the
Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims before the expiration of the deadline.
¾ If the order being appealed is “expedited” (also called “interlocutory”), or if the
order does not dispose of the case in its entirety, the notice of appeal must be filed
within seven (7) business days of the date the order was filed.
¾ If the order being appealed is a “Compensation Order,” or if it resolves all issues
in the case, the notice of appeal must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days of
the date the Compensation Order was filed.
When filing the Notice of Appeal, you must serve a copy on the opposing party (or attorney,
if represented).
2. You must pay, via check, money order, or credit card, a $75.00 filing fee within ten calendar
days after filing the Notice of Appeal. Payments can be made in-person at any Bureau office
or by U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or other delivery service. In the alternative, you may file an
Affidavit of Indigency (form available on the Bureau’s website or any Bureau office)
seeking a waiver of the filing fee. You must file the fully-completed Affidavit of Indigency
within ten calendar days of filing the Notice of Appeal. Failure to timely pay the filing
fee or file the Affidavit of Indigency will result in dismissal of your appeal.
3. You are responsible for ensuring a complete record is presented on appeal. If no court
reporter was present at the hearing, you may request from the Court Clerk the audio
recording of the hearing for a $25.00 fee. If you choose to submit a transcript as part of your
appeal, which the Appeals Board has emphasized is important for a meaningful review of
the case, a licensed court reporter must prepare the transcript, and you must file it with the
Court Clerk. The Court Clerk will prepare the record for submission to the Appeals Board,
and you will receive notice once it has been submitted. For deadlines related to the filing of
transcripts, statements of the evidence, and briefs on appeal, see the applicable rules on the
Bureau’s website at https://www.tn.gov/wcappealsboard. (Click the “Read Rules” button.)
4. After the Workers’ Compensation Judge approves the record and the Court Clerk transmits
it to the Appeals Board, a docketing notice will be sent to the parties.
If neither party timely files an appeal with the Appeals Board, the Court Order
becomes enforceable. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(3) (expedited/interlocutory
orders) and Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(7) (compensation orders).
For self-represented litigants: Help from an Ombudsman is available at 800-332-2667.
NOTICE OF APPEAL
Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
www.tn.gov/workforce/injuries-at-work/
wc.courtclerk@tn.gov | 1-800-332-2667
Docket No.: ________________________
State File No.: ______________________
Date of Injury: _____________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Employee
v.
___________________________________________________________________________
Employer
Notice is given that ____________________________________________________________________
[List name(s) of all appealing party(ies). Use separate sheet if necessary.]
appeals the following order(s) of the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims to the
Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board;ĐŚĞĐŬŽŶĞŽƌŵŽƌĞĂƉƉůŝĐĂďůĞďŽdžĞƐĂŶĚŝŶĐůƵĚĞƚŚĞĚĂƚĞĨŝůĞͲ
ƐƚĂŵƉĞĚŽŶƚŚĞĨŝƌƐƚƉĂŐĞŽĨƚŚĞŽƌĚĞƌ;ƐͿďĞŝŶŐĂƉƉĞĂůĞĚͿ͗
ප Expedited Hearing Order filed on _______________ ප Motion Order filed on ___________________
ප Compensation Order filed on__________________ ප Other Order filed on_____________________
issued by Judge _________________________________________________________________________.
Statement of the Issues on Appeal
Provide a short and plain statement of the issues on appeal or basis for relief on appeal:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Parties
Appellant(s) (Requesting Party): _________________________________________ ܆Employer ܆Employee
Address: ________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________
Email: __________________________________________________________
Attorney’s Name: ______________________________________________ BPR#: _______________________
Attorney’s Email: ______________________________________________ Phone: _______________________
Attorney’s Address: _________________________________________________________________________
* Attach an additional sheet for each additional Appellant *
LB-1099 rev. 01/20 Page 1 of 2 RDA 11082
Employee Name: _______________________________________ Docket No.: _____________________ Date of Inj.: _______________
Appellee(s) (Opposing Party): ___________________________________________ ܆Employer ܆Employee
Appellee’s Address: ______________________________________________ Phone: ____________________
Email: _________________________________________________________
Attorney’s Name: _____________________________________________ BPR#: ________________________
Attorney’s Email: _____________________________________________ Phone: _______________________
Attorney’s Address: _________________________________________________________________________
* Attach an additional sheet for each additional Appellee *
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, _____________________________________________________________, certify that I have forwarded a
true and exact copy of this Notice of Appeal by First Class mail, postage prepaid, or in any manner as described
in Tennessee Compilation Rules & Regulations, Chapter 0800-02-21, to all parties and/or their attorneys in this
case on this the __________ day of ___________________________________, 20 ____.
______________________________________________
[Signature of appellant or attorney for appellant]
LB-1099 rev. 01/20 Page 2 of 2 RDA 11082