(a) Within sixty (60) days after issuance of a dispute certification notice by a workers' compensation mediator, a party seeking further resolution of disputed issues shall file a request for a hearing with the bureau, and the clerk of the court of workers' compensation claims shall issue notice to all parties identifying the judge to whom the claim has been assigned and the procedure for scheduling and preparing for a hearing.

(b)

(1) Unless permission has been granted by the assigned workers' compensation judge, only issues that have been certified by a workers' compensation mediator within a dispute certification notice may be presented to the workers' compensation judge for adjudication.

(2) Following the issuance of a dispute certification notice and assignment of the claim to a workers' compensation judge, the workers' compensation judge may grant permission for parties to present issues that have not been certified by a workers' compensation mediator only upon finding that:

(A) The parties did not have knowledge of the issue prior to issuance of the dispute certification and could not have known of the issue despite reasonable investigation; and

(B) Prohibiting presentation of the issue would result in substantial injustice to the petitioning party.

(c) Hearings of disputes shall be conducted in the following manner:

(1) All hearings shall be conducted within the timeframes adopted by the administrator through the promulgation of rules. The Tennessee Rules of Evidence and the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure shall govern proceedings at all hearings before a workers' compensation judge unless an alternate procedural or evidentiary rule has been adopted by the administrator. Whenever the administrator has adopted an alternate procedural or evidentiary rule that conflicts with the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure or the Tennessee Rules of Evidence, the rule adopted by the administrator shall apply;

(2) Following the hearing, the workers' compensation judge shall issue a compensation order that sets forth findings of fact and conclusions of law, and, if appropriate, an order for the payment of benefits under the workers' compensation law. The workers' compensation judge shall note the date of entry on the order and a copy of the order shall be distributed to the parties in accordance with procedures adopted by the administrator;

(3) If a party who has filed a request for hearing files a notice of nonsuit of the action, either party shall have ninety (90) days from the date of the order of dismissal to institute an action for recovery of benefits under this chapter;

(4) All hearings before the workers' compensation judge shall be open to the public. The parties may provide a court reporter for the preparation of a record;

(5) The testimony of any witness may be taken by deposition according to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure or may be taken before the workers' compensation judge. No costs shall be charged, taxed or collected by the workers' compensation judge for the appearance of witnesses except fees for witnesses who testify under subpoena. The witnesses shall be allowed the same fee for attendance and mileage as is fixed by law in civil actions;

(6) Unless the statute provides for a different standard of proof, at a hearing the employee shall bear the burden of proving each and every element of the claim by a preponderance of the evidence;

(7) There shall be a presumption that the findings and conclusions of the workers' compensation judge are correct, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. The decision of the workers' compensation judge shall become final thirty (30) days after the workers' compensation judge enters a compensation order, unless a party in interest seeks an appeal of the decision from the workers' compensation appeals board pursuant to this chapter. If a party in interest does not file a timely request for appeal to the workers' compensation appeals board, the order of the workers' compensation judge shall become final and may be appealed to the state supreme court in the manner provided by § 50-6-225;

(8) The workers' compensation judge may, in his discretion, assess discretionary costs including reasonable fees for depositions of medical experts against the employer upon adjudication of the employee's claim as compensable;

(9) After an order entered by a workers' compensation judge has become final, the parties subject to the order shall have five (5) business days after all appeals are exhausted to comply with the order or the noncompliant parties shall be subject to penalization as provided by § 50-6-118;

(10) In any claim where the employee has suffered a catastrophic injury, the workers' compensation judge assigned to the claim shall have discretion to order that the claim be heard on an expedited basis. If the assigned workers' compensation judge orders an expedited hearing of the claim, the claim shall be given priority over all cases on the workers' compensation judge's trial docket with the exception of any other claims that the workers' compensation judge has previously ordered to be heard on an expedited basis under this subdivision (c)(10).

(d) Hearings of disputes on an expedited basis shall be conducted in the following manner:

(1) Upon motion of either party made at any time after a dispute certification notice has been issued by a workers' compensation mediator, a workers' compensation judge may, at the judge's discretion, hear disputes over issues provided in the dispute certification notice concerning the provision of temporary disability or medical benefits on an expedited basis and enter an interlocutory order upon determining that the injured employee would likely prevail at a hearing on the merits. A copy of the motion shall be served by the moving party on all other parties to the claim in accordance with procedures adopted by the administrator;

(2) A workers' compensation judge is not required to hold a full evidentiary hearing before issuing an interlocutory order for temporary disability or medical benefits;

(3) If temporary disability or medical benefits are ordered, the employer shall have seven (7) business days to comply with the order or to request an appeal from the workers' compensation appeals board. Unless modified by the workers' compensation appeals board following an appeal or unless a subsequent order to modify an interlocutory order for temporary disability or medical benefits is issued by the workers' compensation judge presiding over the claim, the interlocutory order shall remain in effect pending conclusion of the matter by hearing according to the procedure provided in subsection (c);

(4) If a motion for temporary disability or medical benefits is denied on the basis that the claim is not compensable, the proceeding shall continue according to the procedure provided in subsection (c) unless the employee files a request for an appeal to the workers' compensation appeals board. At any time after the employee has exhausted the procedures for seeking an appeal from the workers' compensation appeals board, as provided in this chapter, the workers' compensation judge may entertain an appropriate motion from the employer for dismissal of the claim.

(e) All discovery disputes, including motions to compel and for protective order, shall be adjudicated upon the review of written motions and affidavits. A workers' compensation judge may, in the judge's discretion, convene a hearing on a discovery dispute only upon a finding that good cause to convene a hearing exists.

(f) The failure of any party to comply in a timely manner with an interlocutory or final order issued by a workers' compensation judge may result in the assessment of a penalty as provided in § 50-6-118.

(g) The administrator shall have authority to assess filing fees sufficient to offset the cost of administering this chapter.

(h) Except as otherwise provided in § 50-6-118, no order issued by a workers' compensation judge shall be subject to judicial review pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.