The Workers’ Compensation Board

Since 1987 and pursuant to KRS 342.285, the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Board has been the first step in the appellate process in a workers’ compensation litigated claim.  The three members of the board are appointed to four-year terms by the governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate.  Board members must possess qualifications of Court of Appeals judges.

Beginning in 1994, statutory alterations obligated the board to render its opinion within 60 days of the filing of the last brief.   The cases are randomly assigned to each board member to be the primary author of that opinion.  In each opinion, unless it is necessary for a board member to recuse himself from the case, all three will participate in the decision.

From 1994 to present, approximately 65 percent to 72 percent of the decisions rendered by the Workers’ Compensation Board were appealed no further.  In the years in which a higher percentage of appeals occur, it generally follows that many of these cases are addressing new law changes.  Because of major changes in the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Act in 1994, 1996, 2000 and now with a significant change dealing with coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, appeals addressing first-time issues have tended to increase.

Workers' Compensation Board

Workers' Compensation Board	Phone	Secretary/Staff Attorney
Gardner, John A.	859-246-2773	Marsha Cordle
Spindletop Office Complex	859-246-2774	Jonathan Stanley
2780 Research Park Dr.	859-246-2775
Lexington, KY  40511	859-246-2776
	Fax:  859-246-2779
Stivers, Franklin A. Spindletop Office Complex 2780 Research Park Dr. Lexington, KY  40511	859-246-2773 859-246-2774 859-246-2775 859-246-2776 Fax:  859-246-2779	Tiffanie Martin Mary Horvay Hicks
Cowden, Bruce	859-246-2773	Jessica Preston
Spindletop Office Complex	859-246-2774	Bill Pospishil
2780 Research Park Dr.	859-246-2775
Lexington, KY  40511	859-246-2776
	Fax:  859-246-2779