The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court administers the Workers’ Compensation Act. The Court is vested with jurisdiction to determine claims for compensation, the liability of employers and insurers, and any rights asserted under the Act. The Court’s mission is to ensure fair and timely procedures for the informal and formal resolution of disputes and identify issues involving work-related injuries.

The Court is comprised of ten judges appointed by the Governor from nominees, including the incumbent judge, if any, presented by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Judges serve staggered six-year terms. A judge may be appointed to successive terms. A Presiding Judge is appointed by the Governor from among the Court’s judges to serve a two-year term.

Awards of the Court are final and conclusive unless appealed to a panel of three Workers’ Compensation Court judges unrelated to the case, or directly to the Supreme Court. An order of the three-judge panel may be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The chief administrative officer of the court is an Administrator who, until 2005, was appointed by the Presiding Judge from a list submitted by a five-member selection committee. Thereafter, a vacancy in the position is subject to gubernatorial appointment for a six-year term.  The Administrator supervises all departments of the Court including Docketing, Order Writing, Data Processing, Records, Medical Services, Insurance, Counselors, Form 3 Processing, and the Court Clerk’s Office.