CHG Insurance

1913 - Texas Passed its first Workers Compensation Act.

1917 - Act Amended - Workers gave up their rights to sue the employer for on the job injuries. Employers were prevented from using three common law defenses to avoid paying compensation:

• Contributory Negligence
• Assuption of Risk
• Fellow Servant Rule

1977 - Law defined occupational diseases

1983 - Medical fee guidelines

1991 - New act in effect, major revisions. Old law had high attorney involvement, slow resolution of disputes, and rising medical cost.

1995 - New law survivied constitutional challenge.

1997 - Electronic Reporting

Coverage

• Workers Compensation is "no-fault" insurance
• Injury / disease must arise out of and in the course of employment
• For occupational disease, the employer whose worker was last exposed to the hazards in the employer of record

Not Covered

• Intoxicated Worker
• Intential Injury
• Horseplay
• Thrid Party actions of personal nature
• Voluntary off-duty recreational, social, or athletic activities
• Act of God / unless at greater risk than general public
• Stress or mental trauma claims ;are not compensable if they arise from a "legitimate personal action"
• Worker election of coverage is automatic unless he / she notifies employer in writing within five days of employment 

 There are four types of workers' compensation benefits:

• Income benefits (other than impairment income benefits) replace a portion of any wages you lose because of a work-related injury or illness. Income benefits include temporary income benefits (TIBs); impairment income benefits (IIBs); supplemental income benefits (SIBs); and lifetime income benefits(LIBs).
• Medical benefitsbenefits pay necessary medical care to treat your work-related injury or illness.
• Burial benefitspay for some of the deceased employee's funeral expenses to the person who paid the funeral expenses.
• Death benefits replace a portion of lost family income for eligible family members of employees killed on the job.