Workers' Compensation and On-the-Job Injury

Employees must notify their immediate supervisor or other appropriate supervisory personnel of their injuries as soon as possible. If the injury is not reported to OU within 30 days, the claims administrator will assume it is not work related and the claim will be denied.

A work related injury or illness that can be compensated by Workers' Compensation occurs directly during the course and scope of employment.

Compensable injuries do not include injuries due to horseplay/assault (except for innocent victims); strain, degeneration, damage/harm or disease/condition resulting from aging, arthritis or degenerative processes; or any pre-existing condition. Compensable injuries also do not include injuries occurring in a parking lot or other common area adjacent to the employer's place of business, inside or outside, before the employee clocks in or otherwise begins work, or clocks out or otherwise stops work.  These types of injuries will be reviewed on a case by case basis by our Claims Administrator for compensability.  

• • HSC
    • OU Medical Center to OU Health Center
  • Norman (list addresses for treatment providers)
    • Goddard Health Center
      620 Elm Ave
      Norman, OK 73019
      405-325-4611
      Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
• • • Norman Regional Occupational Medicine
      724 24^th Ave NW, Suite 200
      Norman, OK 73069
      405-515-0960
      Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; Friday 8:00 am to noon
• • • Any urgent care facility

• • HSC > “Submit Forms To”
    • “The department should send all forms and fitness-for-duty reports to ouworkerscomp@ou.edu. Copies should not be kept in the department files because these are considered protected health information.”
  • Tulsa > “Submit Forms To”
    • “The department should send all forms and fitness-for-duty reports to ouworkerscomp@ou.edu. Copies should not be kept in the department files because these are considered protected health information.”

Returning to work after recovering from an on-the-job injury or illness is allowed only after the university receives a "Fitness for Duty" report written by the doctor who has provided care for the injury.

If the treating physician determines the employee is unable to work or any restricted duty cannot be accommodated by the employee's department, the employee will be determined to be "temporarily totally disabled" (TTD).  The employee's department Payroll Coordinator will work with HR to compute the employee's earned paid time off (PTO) in conjunction with temporary total disability (TTD) issued by the plan administrator. TTD begins after the employee has been off work for three (3) calendar days. TTD is essentially 70% of the employee's average weekly wage; the employee can use accrued PTO to make up the rest of their salary. 

HR will also coordinate with the employee's department Payroll Coordinator to determine if Family & Medical Leave (known as FMLA) is available during the employee's time away from work.

An employee's earned PTO is used for any time away from work for doctor's appointments, physical therapy, etc. The employee will need to schedule appointments around their work responsibilities.  We encourage the employee to schedule these appointments on the way to work, on their lunch break, or on their way home so the employee's work area is not disrupted and the employee will not have to use as much PTO.