(a) An insurance carrier may request:
(1) reimbursement from the Subsequent Injury Fund (SIF)
under Labor Code §403.006(b)(2) for an overpayment of income,
death, or medical benefits when the insurance carrier has made an
unrecoupable overpayment pursuant to the decision of an administrative
law judge, the Appeals Panel, or an interlocutory order, and that
decision or order is reversed or modified by final arbitration, order,
or decision of the commissioner, State Office of Administrative Hearings,
or a court of last resort;
(2) reimbursement from the SIF under Labor Code §403.007(d)
for death benefits paid to the SIF before a legal beneficiary was
determined to be entitled to receive death benefits;
(3) for a compensable injury that occurs on or after
July 1, 2002, reimbursement from the SIF for the amount of income
benefits paid to an injured employee based on multiple employment
and paid under Labor Code §408.042;
(4) for a compensable injury that occurs on or after
September 1, 2007, reimbursement from the SIF for the amount of income,
death benefits, or a combination paid to an injured employee or a
legal beneficiary based on multiple employment and paid under Labor
Code §408.042;
(5) reimbursement from the SIF, under Labor Code §408.0041(f)
and (f-1), for an overpayment of benefits made by the insurance carrier
based on the opinion of the designated doctor if that opinion is reversed
or modified by a final arbitration award or a final order or decision
of the commissioner or a court; or
(6) reimbursement from the SIF made in accordance with
rules adopted by the commissioner under Labor Code §413.0141.
For purposes of this subsection only, an injury is determined not
to be compensable following:
(A) The final decision of the commissioner or the judgment
of the court of last resort; or
(B) A claimant's failure to respond within one year
of a timely dispute of compensability filed by an insurance carrier.
In this instance only, the effective date of the determination of
noncompensability is one year from the date the insurance carrier
filed the dispute with the division.
(i) A determination under this paragraph does not constitute
final adjudication. It does not preclude a party from pursuing their
claim through the division's dispute resolution process, and it does
not permit a health care provider to pursue a private claim against
the claimant.
(ii) If the claim is later determined to be compensable,
the insurance carrier must reimburse the SIF for any initial pharmaceutical
payment that the SIF previously reimbursed to the insurance carrier.
The insurance carrier's reimbursement of the SIF must be paid within
the timeframe the insurance carrier has to comply with the agreement,
decision and order, or other judgment that found the claim to be compensable.
(b) The amount of reimbursement the insurance carrier
may be entitled to is equal to the amount of unrecoupable overpayments
paid and does not include any amounts the insurance carrier overpaid
voluntarily or as a result of its own errors. An unrecoupable overpayment
of income or death benefits for the purpose of reimbursement from
the SIF only includes those benefits that were overpaid by the insurance
carrier pursuant to an interlocutory order, a designated doctor's
opinion, or a decision, which were finally determined to be not owed
and which, in the case of an overpayment of income or death benefits
to the injured employee or legal beneficiary, were not recoverable
or convertible from other income or death benefits.
(c) To request reimbursement under subsection (a)(1)
of this section for insurance carrier claims of benefit overpayments
made under an interlocutory order or decision of the commissioner
that is later reversed or modified by final arbitration, order, decision
of the commissioner, the State Office of Administrative Hearings,
or court of last resort, an insurance carrier must:
(1) submit the request electronically in the form and
manner prescribed by the division;
(2) provide a claim-specific summary of the reason
the insurance carrier is seeking reimbursement and the total amount
of reimbursement requested, including how it was calculated;
(3) provide a detailed payment record showing the dates
and amounts of the payments, payees, type of benefits and periods
of benefits paid, all plain language notices (PLNs) about the payment
of benefits, all certifications of maximum medical improvement and
assignments of impairment rating, and documentation that shows the
overpayment was unrecoupable as described in subsection (b) of this
section, if applicable;
(4) provide the name, address, and federal employer
identification number of the payee (insurance carrier) for any reimbursement
that may be due;
(5) provide copies of all relevant orders and decisions
(benefit review conference reports, interlocutory orders, contested
case hearing decisions and orders, Appeals Panel decisions, and court
orders) relating to the requested reimbursement and show which document
is the final decision on the matter;
(6) provide copies of all relevant reports and DWC
forms the employer filed with the insurance carrier; and
(7) provide copies of all medical bills, preauthorization
request documents, relevant independent review organization (IRO)
decisions, medical fee dispute decisions, contested case hearing decisions
and orders, Appeals Panel decisions, and court orders on medical disputes
associated with the overpayment, if the request is based on an overpayment
of medical benefits.
(d) To request reimbursement under subsection (a)(2)
of this section for reimbursement of death benefits paid to the SIF
before a legal beneficiary is determined to be entitled to receive
death benefits, an insurance carrier must:
(1) submit the request electronically in the form and
manner prescribed by the division;
(2) provide a claim-specific summary of the reason
the insurance carrier is seeking reimbursement and the total amount
of reimbursement requested, including how it was calculated;
(3) provide a detailed payment record showing the dates
and amounts of payments, payees, and periods of benefits paid;
(4) provide the name, address, and federal employer
identification number of the payee (insurance carrier) for any reimbursement
that may be due;
(5) provide the documentation the legal beneficiary
submitted with the claim for death benefits under §122.100 of
this title (relating to Claim for Death Benefits); and
(6) provide the final award of the commissioner or
the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction determining
that the legal beneficiary is entitled to the death benefits.
(e) To request reimbursement under subsections (a)(3)
or (4) of this section regarding multiple employment, the requester
must submit the request on an annual basis for the payments made during
the same or previous fiscal year. The fiscal year begins each September
1 and ends on August 31 of the next calendar year. For example, insurance
carrier payments made during the fiscal year from September 1, 2009,
through August 31, 2010, must be submitted by August 31, 2011. Any
claims for insurance carrier payments related to multiple employment
that are not submitted within the required timeframe will not be reviewed
for reimbursement. To request reimbursement under subsections (a)(3)
or (4) of this section, an insurance carrier must:
(1) submit the request electronically in the form and
manner prescribed by the division;
(2) provide a claim-specific summary of the reason
the insurance carrier is seeking reimbursement and the total amount
of reimbursement requested, including how it was calculated;
(3) provide a detailed payment record showing the dates
and amounts of payments, payees, type of benefits and periods of benefits
paid, all PLNs about the payment of benefits, and documentation that
shows the overpayment was unrecoupable as described in subsection
(b) of this section, if applicable;
(4) provide the name, address, and federal employer
identification number of the payee (insurance carrier) for any reimbursement
that may be due;
(5) provide information documenting the injured employee's
average weekly wage amounts paid from all nonclaim employment held
at the time of the work-related injury under §122.5 of this title
(relating to Employee's Multiple Employment Wage Statement); and
(6) provide information documenting the injured employee's
average weekly wage amounts paid based on employment with the claim
employer.
(f) To request reimbursement under subsection (a)(5)
of this section, for insurance carrier claims of benefit overpayments
made pursuant to a designated doctor's opinion that is later reversed
or modified by a final arbitration award or a final order or decision
of the commissioner or a court, an insurance carrier must:
Cont'd... |