85R10733 JSC-F
By: Perry S.B. No. 1035
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to medical causation narrative reports created under the
Texas Workers' Compensation Act.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 408, Labor Code, is
amended by adding Section 408.0273 to read as follows:
Sec. 408.0273. MEDICAL CAUSATION NARRATIVE REPORT. (a) In
this section, "medical causation narrative report" means an
original report created by a doctor that explains a causal
connection between a workplace accident and a diagnosed injury.
(b) If an insurance carrier disputes the extent of an
employee's compensable injury or if an injured employee does not
agree with the opinion of a designated doctor under Section
408.0041 on that issue, the insurance carrier shall reimburse the
treating doctor or doctor to whom the injured employee is referred
by the treating doctor for the creation of a medical causation
narrative report addressing that issue, regardless of whether the
injured employee, a representative of the injured employee, or the
insurance carrier requests the creation of the report.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a
medical causation narrative report requested on or after the
effective date of this Act, regardless of whether the compensable
injury occurred before, on, or after that date.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2017.