OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable L. A. Woods 

State Su~srlntendent of Public Instmctlon 

Austin, Texa s 

Dear Sir: 

t of your let tar dated 

of this department 

request reads as folas awmled by House Bill 

*The Rehebll.itation Divid: 

aittllent of Eduoatlon is diin Hulse and Regulations, the 

1,s ror the oonduat ot this work, ln 

the purpoaea of this Act, which 

t as far as possible, the rree choice of 

their aeleatlon of physlalaxis and hospltala, . * .* 
Honorable L. A. Woods, Page 2 

"1 rolrpeotfully request your opinion upon the 

rollowIng question: Do I have the authority. under 

the term8 of ths Statute a6 olted in the preo4dIng 

paragraph, to r48trIct patient4 in their seleotlon 

of -ho8pItal8 and dootor6 to the ho8pItalr and dOOtor8 

found wlthln o4rtaln geographloal 8ubdlvl8l4na ot 

tha Stat4 whorain ths patl4ntr resld4, the bouadar14s of th4 eubdivieione k b4 defined by m47" 

S4otlon 3 of Art1014 267Sj, V4rnon*4 Annotat44 Civil 

Statutes, a8 amsnd46 Aot8 1935, 44th Lagl8latuxw, p. 32S, 

Chapter 121, 440. 1; dot8 1937, 43th L4gIrrlatur4, p. 411, 

Chaptsr 2G7, 440. 1, provid48t 

"Th4 Rehabilltatlon Dlvl81on of th4 Stats Deparfa4nt 0r EQuoatlon I4 4mpow4rsd to tak4 04n8U8, 

m4k4 8-4y8,,alld 4stabliah p4lman4nt r4oords oi 

crlppl4d ohlldr4n; to ooopsrat4 with th8 Department 

of Eduoat1oo in providing 8pO@1al #quipment.and instruetlon in the l dtioation of arippled obildren, to 

proour m4dloal and 8urgioal 84rvl4e for qrlppled 

ohildran; provided that only phyeiaiane legally 

qUal1f1ed to pmOtiO4 medlolns and SlISgSw in T4Xa8 

b4 employ4Q ior pWpO848 Of di#&zio818 and fr4at4Wt: 

provld46 +urther, howmver, tha"t for arippled ohilQr4~ 

having Qoieotisd the oral Oavity, 14gany quai.if14d 

d4nti8t8 my b4 4mp1Oy4d for pUl’&IO448 Of df4@0818 

and tr4awntt that not mor4 than the ou4tomary mlni!EWU f448 b4 ptiid ?Or 8wh 84ITI448, and that phy81- 

aiM8, 64nt18t8, Or sUrg4On8 PO employed shall be 

approved by th4 atate Board ot Halth, a8 ~uallflsd 

t0 rSItd4F such 84lT104; t0 8414at and dQ81gnat6 haspItal for the oam ot erlppl4d children oont4mplatoQ 

by th18 Aot provldlng that euoh ho4pital mwt bs approv4d by th4 Stat4 Board of Control, and to take 

euoh other steps a8 may be n404arary In orddsr to aooompllsh the pUl'pos48 of this Aot. 

*At the disorrtion of the Stat4 ~Department of 

Eduoation, traneportatfon, appllanOe4,~bra~48, aad 

material neo8ssary In the proper hanQllng of orIppl46 

ohIlQr4n may b4 in part or sntIr4ly prov1Qed. 

Vh4 E4BabllItat1on Dlvlslon or the &ate Departm4nt of Eduoatlon 18 dirooted to provlQ4 In Rules end 

~4Ruletlons fha n4aestaary d4t4114 for the oonduot Of’ 
Honorable L. A. ~~0088, Page 3 

this work, In aooordance with the gur~o444 of 

this Act. rhloh shall permit a8 far as gO84Ibl4, 

the free choice of patients In their aelection 

of phyalolans an4 hoapltaL8, an4 shall arrange 

with hospitals, brace departments, and other eerVI048 providing for crippled children's work, oompeneatloo for such eervicee, provided that suoh 

fess or charges shall not exceed the average mlnImum charges for the same s4rvlo4s rendered to 

average ward patients in the hospitals approve4 

for phapoes of this Aat, such Rules an4 Regulations shall be a 

of Eduoatlon." 7 

proved by the State Department 

Un44racoring ours). 

The Rehabllltatlon Division of the State Department 

or XduoatIon Is expr4esly directed to provide rules and regulations for the conduct of the work of procuring mediaal an4 

surgical 44rvIo4 and hospital attention for needy crippled 

ohlldren, and w4 believe It Lies within the soilnd administratlve dieoretion of that dlvlelon to restrict patients in the 

seleotlon of hospitals, phyeloiane and eurgeons to those wlthIn certain geographIoa1 8ubdIvisIons of the state where the 

patients reside. 

Whll4 It Is true the Legislature provided that insofar as poselble, the regulations of the Rehabllitatlon Dlvlalon should permit "the free aholoe of patients in their. 

selection of phy8ioiM8 and hospItale,e w4 do not believe the 

Legislature intended ln granting this benefioenoe to allow a 

patient in one far-flung Seotion of the'stats to In818t upon 

a phpsIolan or hoepital in another widely separated section. 

It only Intend44 that Insofar as possible In keeping with a 

buelnees-llke adminlstra~tlon of the Aot, the patient be psrmitt44 a tree aholoe In the selection of physlolana and hoapltale. We believe this choice may well be exsroIse4 wlthln the 

geographloal subdivleions of the state in whloh the patient resides. 

Yours very truly 

APPROVED MAY 11, 1940 

/s/ Gerald C. .Mann 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

Approve4 

OpiniRof; gommittee 

JDS:E% 

. . ., Chm. 

%ter H Yeah 

As&&t 

BY 

James':' . Smullen