16. Five percent of Texas employees do not have workers’ compensation or injury benefit plan coverage?

Correct:

• Number of TX Private-Sector Employees covered by workers’ comp: 8.4 mil ¹
• Number of TX Private-Sector Employees covered by injury benefit plans:  1.2 mil ²
• Number of TX Private-Sector Employees not covered by WC or injury benefit plan:  0.6 mil ³
• Number of TX Government Employees (all covered by workers’ comp): 2.0 mil ⁴ 
• TOTAL Texas employees: 12.2 mil ⁵
• PERCENTAGE of Texas employees not covered by WC or injury benefit plan: 5%⁶

¹ Texas Department of Insurance 2018 study on Employer Participation in the Texas Workers’ Compensation System, page 26. Two main points can be gleaned from TDI’s biennial studies: (1) Injury benefit plans are a large and thriving part of
the social safety net for 1.2 million Texas workers; and (2) employer and employee satisfaction levels remain high. Like all prior surveys, Texas employers with injury benefit plans reported higher levels of satisfaction in 2018. These biennial
surveys previously reported higher levels of employee satisfaction, but those survey questions and reporting were discontinued by TDI in 1997. ARAWC supports continued improvement in the accuracy of nonsubscriber research. ARAWC continues to pursue
active engagement between the TDI Research and Evaluation Group and the Texas injury benefit program community, including direct input from insurance companies, third party administrators or other leaders that build, insure and manage these programs.
More accurate research would support government and ARAWC efforts to cover more Texas workers by either workers’ compensation or a quality injury benefit program.

² Id.

³ Id.

⁴ Texas Workforce Report 2018-2019 from the Texas Workforce Commission, page 15. Workers’
compensation coverage is required for all government employees under Texas Labor Code 406.002 (“Except for public employers and as otherwise provided by law, an employer may elect to obtain workers’ compensation insurance coverage.”)

⁵ Total employment reported by Texas government agencies vary based on timing, methods and data sources.

⁶ 600,000 divided by 12,200,000.