Texas DWC to Hold Brown Bag Series on Dispute Resolution

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation will hold a Brown Bag Series with stakeholders in the workers’ compensation system this fall, with a half dozen meetings scheduled across the state.

The series will focus on dispute resolution and will include members of DWC Hearing’s executive team. Allen Craddock, deputy commissioner of hearings, Kara Squier, director of the appeals panel and Tiffany Duarte, director of dispute processing, will appear at sessions to answer attendees’ questions.

“This series offers a platform for meaningful interaction between system participants and Hearings,” said Craddock. “During these Brown Bag sessions, we share insights about the dispute resolution process and gather valuable feedback to ensure greater transparency for everyone involved.”

The sessions will begin in September, with the first meeting scheduled for Sept. 13 in Houston. From there the Brown Bag Series will travel to El Paso on Sept. 20, Dallas on Sept. 27, San Antonio on Oct. 4 and Amarillo on Oct. 11 before concluding Oct. 18 with a Hybrid (Zoom) – Austin meeting.

The agenda includes:

• Reorganization of Hearings.
• Legislative updates that may affect Hearings, including online contested case hearings.
• Status of new BRO-I process that identifies disputes needing a presiding officer’s directive (POD).
• Practice and procedure updates for the Appeals Panel.
• Proposals to create efficiencies in docketing proceedings to reduce continuances.
• Proposals to create continuity of hearings across Texas.

While there will be time at the end for questions about the dispute resolution process, DWC said it will not discuss specific cases.

More information can be found by contacting DWCCommunications@tdi.texas.gov.

Topics Texas