Justices Skeptical About Small-Dollar Lien Rule

AUSTIN -- Three justices of the Third Court of Appeals quizzed an attorney for the Division of Workers' Compensation on Wednesday as to why the agency's dispute-resolution process for small-dollar medical disputes fails to provide for judicial review. The panel heard oral arguments in a lawsuit by Insurance Council of Texas that challenges a rule adopted in 2003 by the DWC's predecessor, the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission. The rule created an alternative medical necessity dispute-resolution process for claims less than $650. Justice Bea Ann Smith commented that the rule appeared to ...