| Spring 2009
Jo Betsy NortonYou Need to Know
By Jo Betsy Norton •
Vice President of Public Affairs
Are legislative reforms working?
Temporary income benefit payments to injured workers have decreased an average of 20 percent per claim since the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 7 in 2005, according to a report issued by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) in
December 2008.
Legislators designed House Bill 7 to make the workers’ comp system more efficient, control system costs, and improve access to and quality of care for injured workers. The bill required TDI to issue biennial reports to the Legislature on the impact of the reforms. To read the full report, visit www.texasmutual.com/forms/report.pdf.
Follow bills that could affect you
The Texas Legislature will wrap up its 81st session on June 1. Some of the bills that legislators are considering could affect employers who have a workers’ compensation policy.
You can follow the progress of workers’ comp-related bills at
www.
texasmutual.com/news/legis/main.shtm. The site includes an overview of the legislative process and information on how to get involved.
Employers who want more information about workers’ compensation system changes should register for our free “You Need to Know More” email service. See below for more information.
Manage your claims, improve your productivity
If you have two employees to 50 employees, you may be eligible for the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC)
return-to-work reimbursement program. Under the program, the DWC reimburses
employers up to $2,500 for money they spend to bring injured employees back to work or keep them at work.
For more information about the return-to-work reimbursement program, visit www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/rtw/index.html, email rtw.services@tdi.state.tx.us or call (512) 804-5000.
You need to know more
If you are interested in learning more about recent changes to the Texas workers' comp system, email us at publicaffairs@texasmutual.com.
In your email, tell us whether you are an agent, policyholder or other concerned
party; your business name and address; and your name and title. We will email you workers' comp news updates as warranted.
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