State News : Texas

NWCDN is a network of law firms dedicated to protecting employers in workers’ compensation claims.


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.


Texas

STONE LOUGHLIN & SWANSON, LLP

  512-343-1385

On December 2, 2016, Travis County District Court Judge Stephen Yelenosky will hear the appeal of the decision from the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) in the lead group of air ambulance fee disputes between various workers’ compensation carriers and PHI Air Medical. SOAH Judge Craig Bennett ruled in favor of the carriers in 2015 when he held that the federal Airline Deregulation Act does not preempt Texas workers’ compensation laws that govern the amount of reimbursement paid to air ambulance providers for transporting injured workers. Judge Yelenosky will decide whether that decision is correct. The Division has intervened in support of the carriers’ position on preemption. Judge Yelenosky is retiring at the end of the year so his decision is expected before then.

On December 7, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans will hear oral argument inAir Evac EMS, Inc. v. State of Texas, Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation. Air Evac, another large for-profit air ambulance provider, filed a declaratory judgment lawsuit against the Division based on the SOAH decision in the lead group of fee disputes with PHI Air Medical. The suit was filed in federal district court in Austin, Texas. Air Evac sought a declaration that the ADA preempts Texas workers’ compensation laws that govern the amount of reimbursement paid to air ambulance providers for services provided to injured workers and therefore, the Division must order carriers to pay its unregulated billed charges.

The carriers in the PHI Air Medical case intervened in Air Evac’s lawsuit. The carriers and Division moved to dismiss on the grounds that Air Evac has no right to bring suit in federal court but that even if it did, Air Evac’s lawsuit should still be dismissed to allow the preemption issue to be decided in the state proceedings where that issue was litigated for the last three years. Federal District Court Judge Sam Sparks granted the motions and dismissed Air Evac’s lawsuit. Air Evac appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to determine whether Judge Sparks was correct to dismiss the case. If it rules he was not, the case will go back to Judge Sparks for further proceedings consistent with the court’s ruling. Oral argument is set in the case on December 7, 2016.

There were 643 air ambulance disputes pending at the Division as of October 21, 2016, by far the single largest category of medical fee disputes. Additionally, there are around 130 more cases pending at SOAH. In April, Commissioner Brannan announced that he directed Division staff to abate all air ambulance disputes until the final outcome of the litigation regarding federal preemption. The number of disputes pending at the Division will continue to grow as more disputes are filed at a rate of about 30 per month.