Workers Comp Fundamentals

Thousands of people are killed every year on the job, and multitudes of others suffer serious injuries. On-the-job injuries account for huge losses of time and productivity, but if you’re hurt at work, these concerns are secondary to your own. These injuries can prevent you from working, result in lost wages and even land you in bankruptcy thanks to high medical bills. Fortunately, there are workers compensation protections, and this is how you can become eligible.

Continue Reading What to Do If You Are Injured on the Job

Each day, Texas residents drive to and from work, expecting to arrive safely. On many occasions, employers may provide either (1) company-owned transportation or (2) financial reimbursement for travel expenses using a private vehicle. Both situations would be in furtherance of the responsibilities of the job and are directly connected with the performance of the

In 1991, Texas employers sought policy writers to create polices covering employees injured on the job. To fuel this need, the Texas legislature created the Texas Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund, the largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance. In 2001, the state changed the fund’s name to Texas Mutual Insurance Company (TMIC) but maintained the same goal: to stabilize the state’s workers’ compensation system. Since its creation, TMIC has accomplished just that, consuming 40% of Texas’s workers’ compensation insurance market. Today, TMIC insures over 60,000 employers and their 1.4 million employees. Despite its success, TMIC recently announced its desire to cut ties with the state. The purpose of this blog is to explain some of the pros and cons associated with converting the state fund into a private company.
Continue Reading Texas Fights over State-Created Firm, Texas Mutual Insurance Company

On October 20, 2014, Texas’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announced final disciplinary actions against insurance carriers, health care providers, and employers for violating the state’s workers’ compensation laws. Division of Workers’ Compensation Announces Recent Enforcement Action, Tex. Dep’t Ins. (Oct. 20, 2014), available at http://www.tdi.texas.gov/news/2014/dwc—10—20.html.

Since January 1, 2014, administrative penalties for these violations total $1,774,345, including $1,658,245 against insurance carriers, $65,600 against health care providers, and $1,000 against employers.Continue Reading TX DWC Announces September Workers’ Compensation Violations

Workers’ compensation fraud occurs when individuals intentionally make false representations to obtain or to deny workers’ comp benefits, which reimburse employees injured on the job.

Individuals committing workers’ comp fraud carry many faces—employees, employers, and healthcare providers all qualify as potential violators. Employees become violators when seeking benefits by misrepresenting their injuries, employment status, or treatment. Alternatively, employers commit workers comp fraud not to receive benefits, but to avoid responsibility. Employers often seek to avoid responsibility by underreporting employee payrolls and avoiding premiums. Last, health care providers, such as doctors, counselors, and pharmacists, become violators by duplicating bills, billing patients for improper services, and receiving payments from multiple insurance carriers for the same treatment.

2012’s Top 10 Cases

             In 2012, the top ten workers’ comp fraud cases cost America $97,446,500. Below is a short description of each case and its damages:Continue Reading $97 Million in Workers’ Comp Fraud: 2012’s Top Cases

Texas is the only state that doesn’t make workers compensation insurance mandatory for at least some employers. This is a shame, because workers’ compensation insurance is beneficial to both employees and employers as Sally Spooner, a school teacher, and the Cody School District, her employer, recently found out.

The Cody School District is the local