Relating to the provision of workers' compensation insurance coverage for certain Texas Task Force 1 members and intrastate fire mutual aid system team and regional incident management team members, including the removal of coverage for nongovernment members.

Contracts

• Public Sector (Cities/Counties): Review your Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with TDEM. You must ensure that future reimbursement requests to the State include the allocable cost of workers' compensation coverage for the duration of the deployment.
• Private Sector: If you employ "nongovernment members" (e.g., engineers, medical professionals) who deploy, you must execute a written agreement clarifying their status. If they are not on your payroll during deployment, they are currently uninsured by the State.

Hiring/Training

• Roster Audits: HR Departments must immediately identify all employees currently rostered with TX-TF1, Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid, or Regional Incident Management Teams.
• Risk Notification: Personnel must be informed that they are no longer covered by the State of Texas for workers' compensation purposes.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• First Report of Injury (DWC Form-1): The responsibility to file this form has shifted from the State/A&M System to you (the home employer).
• Deadline: You must file DWC Form-1 with your carrier within 8 days of receiving notice of an injury. Failure to file results in administrative penalties against your entity.

Fees & Costs

• Premium Increases: Injuries sustained during catastrophic state deployments (e.g., hurricanes) will now impact your organization's experience modifier, likely increasing future workers' compensation premiums.
• Self-Insured Retention: If your entity is self-insured, you are now directly liable for the medical and indemnity costs of these injuries from dollar one.