Bill allows Texas comp division to conduct criminal investigations

The Texas Senate passed a bill Wednesday that will allow the Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation fraud unit to conduct criminal investigations.

House Bill 2053, sponsored by Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, and Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, “amends the Labor Code to expand the purposes for which the workers' compensation division of the Texas Department of Insurance is required to maintain an investigation unit to include conducting investigations relating to alleged offenses under the Texas Workers' Compensation Act, with particular emphasis on the offenses that involve fraudulently obtaining or denying benefits or fraudulently obtaining workers' compensation insurance coverage, according to the House Committee report.

In addition, H.B. 2053 would also increase the threshold amount of premium avoided in the commission of fraudulently obtaining workers comp insurance coverage from $1,500 to $2,500 and increases the threshold value of benefits involved in the commission of fraudulently obtaining or denying workers comp benefits from $1,500 to $2,500.

The bill now needs to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.