Low Pay, More Vacancies for WC Judge Positions

Last year, the Texas Legislature changed the title of workers’ compensation hearing officers to administrative law judges. That may have been an attempt to give the judges the honorific they deserve and smooth over some simmering frustrations, attorneys say. But HB 2111 did not raise the judges’ salaries, and at $70,000 annually, the pay level remains lower than in many other states. With three vacancies at the court and others soon to open up, there’s growing concern that the bench won’t be able to keep up with the caseload or attract enough qualified candidates. &ld...