THE
WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE PROGRAM
The basic concept of workers being compensated for work-related injuries spread to the US from Europe in the early 20th century. In 1917 the US supreme Court ruled that states could require employers to provide compensation to injured employees. Texas revised its workers' compensation law in 1917. A new Workers' Compensation Act, was adopted by the 71st Legislature on December 13, 1989, due to the findings of a Legislature appointed Joint Select Committee on Workers' Compensation Insurance. This Act ensures that injured workers are compensated fairly and appropriately for injuries that occur in the workplace, and it applies to all injuries occurring after January 1, 1991.
Workers' Compensation Insurance in the State of Texas is a state-regulated insurance program designed to pay the medical bills and replace some lost wages for employees who are injured at work or contract job-related occupational diseases.
The Texas A&m University System (TAMUS) Workers' Compensation Insurance Program was created by the 52nd Legislature to provide "reasonable and necessary" medical coverage and disability payments to employees who are injured or who contract occupational diseases on the job. The statutory authority for this provision is contained in the Texas Labor Code Chapter 502. TAMUS maintains its Workers' Compensation Program as a self-insured program funded by assessments against the total payroll for each System member. As such, the assessments are levied separately against members of the Agriculture Program.
The Workers' Compensation Program is administered by the Office of Risk Management and Safety under its director and its Assistant Director for Workers' Compensation. As such, the System has developed uniform System-wide procedures, standards, and record-keeping criteria. In addition, it is the interface between the members of the Agriculture Program and the State of Texas Agencies which include the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission. The basic procedures for the System are contained in the Office of Risk Management and Safety's Workers' Compensation Insurance Administrative Procedure and Management Standard Guide. To comply with these basic procedures, Workers' Compensation Procedures for COALS, TAES, TCE (except county programs), and TWDMS have been developed and are contained in this training/reference program. These procedures are also contained in TAES and TCE procedures. In addition, a checklist of these procedures is available at this internet site for your quick reference. The checklist is in two forms - a basic checklist and an expanded checklist. The expanded contains additional information in each section that the basic checklist does not contain.
The injured workers rights and responsibilities as outlined by the State of Texas Workers Compensation Commission may be viewed at: http://www.twcc.state.tx.us/information/workerrights.html
Workers' Compensation Insurance payments for lost income of an employee starts when an employee has been off work for more that seven days. No wages are paid initially for this seven-day exclusionary period, however, after an employee has been off work for 21 days after the exclusionary period (28 days total), they may receive wages for the first seven day period. The income an employee receives is approximately 70% of the income they received at the time of the injury. Any insurance coverage for dependents, optional insurances, and etc. which a benefit eligible employee has elected must be paid for by the employee from the Workers' Compensation payments - these are not automatically deducted. In lieu of these payments, an injured employee may elect to use vacation and sick leave time to continue their full income. This is accomplished by signing the appropriate form, and may be continued as long as they have sick leave and vacation time previously accrued. After this vacation and sick leave time has been exhausted, an employee may begin receiving Workers' Compensation income benefits. At no time may an employee receive both Workers' Compensation income benefits and their normal income with the use of the vacation and sick leave.
Further information concerning the Workers' Compensation program may be obtained by contacting the Agriculture Program HR Office at (979) 845-4766 or the Office of Risk Management and Safety, (979) 458-6249.
The links below will take you to the procedures and checklists for the Workers' Compensation in the Agriculture Program.
Agriculture Program Workers Compensation Procedures (non-county programs)
Workers Compensation Procedures Checklist - expanded version.