The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has adopted their Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group’s (REG) fiscal year 2025 research agenda. This annual agenda allows the REG to conduct key studies on the effectiveness of the Texas workers’ compensation system.

The 2025 projects include:

1. Evaluating the feasibility and impact of adopting updated version of the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, contingent on the AMA's 2024 revisions to musculoskeletal chapters. This study is contingent on the American Medical Association’s publication of the 2024 revisions to the musculoskeletal chapters 15-17.

2. An update to medical cost and utilization trends in the Texas workers’ compensation system.

3. Analyzing designated doctors and scheduling companies by reviewing metrics like rescheduled exams, report timeliness, and payment speed.

The DWC published the proposed research agenda in the August 16, 2024, issue of the Texas Register (49 TexReg 6316) and sought public review and comment. The DWC received one comment and no requests for a public hearing.

The REG will consider expanding the scope of the research projects or conducting more projects to accommodate stakeholder suggestions, subject to the resources and data available.