NWCDN Members regularly post articles and summary judgements in workers’ compensations law in your state.
Select a state from the dropdown menu below to scroll through the state specific archives for updates and opinions on various workers’ compensation laws in your state.
Contact information for NWCDN members is also located on the state specific links in the event you have additional questions or your company is seeking a workers’ compensation lawyer in your state.
November 14th was the
first day of bill prefiling for Texas’ upcoming 88th Legislative Session. 921
bills and resolutions were filed that day, including a couple that are of
particular interest to workers’ compensation participants.
Benefits for the National Guard
On April 25, 2022, Texas National Guardsman Bishop E. Evans died on duty while
attempting to save lives but because he was serving in a State Active Duty
status as opposed to federal order, his family was not guaranteed any surviving
financial assistance. Texas legislators thus introduced HB 90 and SB 155 to
improve workers’ compensation and death benefits for Texas Military Forces
while serving in a State Active Duty status. Among other things, the proposed
bills would authorize a $500,000 death benefit lump sum payment for surviving
families, apply accelerated dispute resolution procedures to guardsmen claiming
workplace injuries, and include PTSD coverage similar to that given to first
responders.
Bundling Benefits
Pending legislation also has been proposed to allow Texas companies to offer
their employees a bundled workers’ compensation plan with group health
coverage. HB 351 authorizes a workers’ compensation insurance company to
contract with an accident and health insurance company to offer a packaged plan
that would provide for medical benefits under the group health plan and other
benefits to be paid exclusively through the workers’ compensation policy. The
packaged plan would not permit cost-sharing requirements for workers’
compensation medical benefits nor for employee contributions to the premiums
paid for the group health coverage allocated to workers’ compensation medical
benefits.
Copyright 2022, Stone Loughlin & Swanson, LLP