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Tex. Lab. Code § 402.021

GOALS; LEGISLATIVE INTENT; GENERAL WORKERS' COMPENSATION MISSION OF DEPARTMENT

Known as the Texas Workers' Compensation Act

The act spans §§ 401–419 (623 sections).

Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case PHI Air Med., LLC v. Tex. Mut. Ins. Co. (2018)

Most recently applied in PHI Air Med., LLC v. Tex. Mut. Ins. Co. (January 2018)

Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 269, Sec. 1, eff

How often courts cite this section

199920002010201810
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(a) The basic goals of the workers' compensation system of this state are as follows:

(1) each employee shall be treated with dignity and respect when injured on the job;

(2) each injured employee shall have access to a fair and accessible dispute resolution process;

(3) each injured employee shall have access to prompt, high-quality medical care within the framework established by this subtitle; and

(4) each injured employee shall receive services to facilitate the employee's return to employment as soon as it is considered safe and appropriate by the employee's health care provider.

(b) It is the intent of the legislature that, in implementing the goals described by Subsection (a), the workers' compensation system of this state must:

(1) promote safe and healthy workplaces through appropriate incentives, education, and other actions;

(2) encourage the safe and timely return of injured employees to productive roles in the workplace;

(3) provide appropriate income benefits and medical benefits in a manner that is timely and cost-effective;

(4) provide timely, appropriate, and high-quality medical care supporting restoration of the injured employee's physical condition and earning capacity;

(5) minimize the likelihood of disputes and resolve them promptly and fairly when identified;

(6) promote compliance with this subtitle and rules adopted under this subtitle through performance-based incentives;

(7) promptly detect and appropriately address acts or practices of noncompliance with this subtitle and rules adopted under this subtitle;

(8) effectively educate and clearly inform each person who participates in the system as a claimant, employer, insurance carrier, health care provider, or other participant of the person's rights and responsibilities under the system and how to appropriately interact within the system; and

(9) take maximum advantage of technological advances to provide the highest levels of service possible to system participants and to promote communication among system participants.

(c) This section may not be construed as:

(1) creating a cause of action; or

(2) establishing an entitlement to benefits to which a claimant is not otherwise entitled by this subtitle.

(d) As provided by this subtitle, the division shall work to promote and help ensure the safe and timely return of injured employees to productive roles in the workforce.

Official source: Texas Constitution and Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Texas statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.