somrfme 0ml3ls S.Carpenter

Texas UPePlployasnt aempensetion

Conmiseion Brown Bld& Austin, Texas

&bar Sir: OpfnlonNo. o-2247 **R%i uap**  **the Coml%%loti**  **r%uwe to**  l.tealf

tb determlmitlon

e 8 alaim for benefit8or rerlsw
e determlnatlon

alrea6y rrde before an appeal iron 8tmh deterwlnatlon

~has been iilod with %% appeal Srfbunaland re.. latsd questions.

You2 reqamt for en opinioa on aar$ainralattwl qwstlons imuting qqeml proaodure Wore the **!gma U-r**  **Qae** permotionOolPrlaaion lrrrrr been reaefved. Pour questions will bo quoted end dltiassad in~tb& order +f their Irppemranae In the request.

The Lsgi~lmturehas andearorodto ~tllne gatiieular4 the proaodureto be iollowed ta tfib hfutdl.~ef benefitolairs **baiorathe Gomlaahn.**  **Ue quote**  the peW.mmtSa&lons of &tiale 5223.-b,

Vernen'sRavlsod Civil Statutsst

"See. 4 **(b).** SnLtlalDetermination: A representstire clasigneted

by the GQIBBX%SB~~P, anti hwdmUter **re** ierred to aa 

### a dsputp, shall promptlyexnmine t4e O~&JU and, on the baais of the faoCa foam3 by hiat, shall either determknewhsther or not euoh aLaim 1% valid, end if mild, the date 0% w!~l%h b%a%fit% shell oomue~e, the benefit aiwiuut paretie end thci

Blexilnum

duration thereof.or ahall refbr suon aletw or any question lorolved theretn to en appeal xribunslor to the WIa5la- &of%, wuoh shell m&e its detemninatlans with rsapeot thsreto In aooordanaewith t!w proaeduredeaeribed in **subseatlton (0)**  **of** this %eotfcm, exoept t&et in any oa%e in which the peyment or d%ni%l of benefits **wtil** be da-GrvIlla~S,Osrpantar,page 2

tarmIaadby tha prai%Iuns of %eotlon 5~x6) oi this AOtt, the **deputy** ahall prompay txailadthle zllll finding
as rao4i

with reapeot to that aubaaationto the ConmUalon, WhIoh, on tho be%I% of the atidauoe submittedand suoh a&ditlOual evldauoe 8% It may requlro, shall 8rriXJItj 6miif$, ox set a8Ida suah fiudiugs of facet end tran%&t to tha dapaty a daaI%Ion apon the Issues Involtad undar the subaeatlon. The daputy etia3.l propapt notify the alaImnt.and any dtmr lnterestad psrtg-of tha deoiaionand the reabans thexsror. Unless tire al%Imsnt
or any suoh Interestad psrty, within tan (10) calenderdays ester the delivery of,ouoh uotificcrtion, or within twelve (U) a%lendsrday% after auoh notirlaaticn wc.8 mailed tb hi8 least

lcuOspfl~addres:s,

files en eppettl

from such daolalon, auoh dea$tsIon skmll baTIn%l and banefitashall ba paid or-&dad ln eaoamlanoe -tharawTth. IX an eppa%l Io~dulgfilad, banafltowith respaot to the parlod prior to the flnal detarmInstion or tLre

CommIuslon, shall ba pald 

### or&y sitar **such** dstemInstIon; prop/dad,that If au appeal tribuuel

~erfirus

a dacisianof a deputy, or tha GomfnIe~~5o~

effirme a t!ieoisbm of en appaal trIbuna1, allowIngbehefits,such bonefIt% shall ba paid reGardlea% efany~appaal.whloh~my tharaaftarbe taken but It suah daoision Is fimlly revarssd,no amployar*s daaouut ahall be ahergadwith benefits so paid.

aho. 4 (a). Appbal~~ Unless suah appeal Is wlthdrawn,, %u appeal trtbunal,artsir %tford&ngthe partlea raaeonableoppc&iuIty for fair hmriog, aLall bffimi 

### or.madYy the fludIng of faat anb'daoI%ion of the depaty. The partlss ahall be da4 natIfIedof sash. trlbtu+*6 deo+slon,tanager tit& It6 raaaom3 thereior, whiah ahall be de&madto ba tlma& tla6iaiix1 Eb tth& 6anmiasi0r~,

unlsss within tan (10)days r&a? tha date of notlfloatlcm

or msIl.ing

of %%ah 4eaIaIoa rurtha appeel Is IhItIstadpursuant to subsaatian {a, of this aaotls4n;*

aSea 4.(a) Th% Conmiseionmay on Its own motion 

### affira,

modify, o? set as&de ang deoiaion of en Cppaal tribunalon the heals of the eW¶anaa **previously** submitted In auah oasa, or dIreat the taking of eddftioual eviBauae,ax may peruit an$ of the partlee to s&h daaiaion to unitlate further appeslsbefore it

. . ~. . The **%mraIssIon** may remva to Itself or transfarto another eppecl tribune1 the proeeadln,;s au any claim penblng before an eppeal tribunal.

. rW ,. Thui a aaraful awmiuatioa of relevant eeatlouaof Artlole 5221-b disalosese **power** Hithin the Cor%n3.~sion, faund in Laotian 4 (a) to affirm, mdffy or set aoSda say Uaaoision of en appeal tribunal on :ts own motion,. **This** m?i.ua %eatIon of our law~.furthar empowers the G&saion to ranove to ItaaU or to anothar appasl tribunalmy alai& pendiug before en eppac~ltribuual.

Raforanoa to the oour%e 6f a bleiu from Its fIlIug to Its rlnal deteruiuatlon, %how%. tha first datam&mtIou to ba 

### teetea by Artlola 5221-b, Eaatian 4 (b), la a raprasantatira or deputy designetedby tha &%rm~I%%Lon; subsaquant**to** detormf.a%tlon by the dapaty **the** prooedure 1% .outliued fox an appaal to aa appeal tribunalund from that body to the GomnIesIan.

.,Bon.~Grvllle S, Carpenter,paga 3

A pruvibionIa **-de** In Artlola !%!a-0, SeotIan 4(e), far remwal by the CoxnaIasIon on 1tS motion of a 

### ola5.m ber~re an appeal tribunal,bntno auhorlmatlon appears in the statute for the Gom&mion, on its own motion, -to remove e olain for revfew pr1a.r to an appaal to the appeal tribunal. 1t:obviously

was intended that the epplioantfor banerlts **take the**  IuItlatIvaia'saaurIxtg benefitaand that the Cumalsslon would not of Ita own volition award paymentsfndlaorimI~toly 

### rrom a rund designed to help the needy unamployed.

We have oonsideredthe datalledmanner adopted by the Lagls.:etura

in oatlInIngthe prooeduraof P olelm, tha authority and the **duty** of tha Colgfacilon and Ita daputlcawith rderenoe to olaims. Thla sppears to be En apt situation

### ror the appI& aatlon of the legal marIm vexpresalourrius~ est exalueloalterIus*. Where the stat&a auumarataat!m powersand dutias of ofiloialrr UoLto be ear&truedaa axaludlngall those not expresslymanThis rule was long ago laid down In Texae ln the opLnion oreJudgeWheeler in **&-yen** vs. gundberg,f, Tox. Rap. &I& Your first queetIon18 qmwered in the negative.

‘Question

Ho. 2, ~Maya oat38 p&ding b&ore an appaak tribunalbe ramovkd to the Commlselonbx an aotlon 00 the Corplnisslou taken ln the sbsenoe of trie lmpartislnumber; or iwioitheut tha oonaumdnoe 

### 0r the impartial

member in aueh ~aotIanV 

### Artdale 5223.-b,

GeotIW 8 (e), reads as follows:
"(e) Quorumt Any tool(2) Gorraalseione~s shall oonatitutaa quarum,provided,hewevar, that whanavar tha **ConudsaIon hefms**  **wy ease**  Imdlrlng 8 dlaputed 0lal.i toi, benefitskdar the &cwlmIon~ of Sd3.rm 6 af this Aat, the impcmtlal

member oi-ths Caaualaalon shallaot u3.e~~ in the sbeenoe or &isqualYioatio~~ ai any other **member, end**  in no oese ehall suoh a heerlng prooeed unless **the** inqpartlalmember

of the C~sslon is present. Bbroept as harefnbeiore

provided,no **vaoanoy &aBu**  Impair the right 

### 0r the ramaInIug Gumksslone173 to exarelaaall oi the.poriara

oi the Gamai8sI01&"~

**Our ’** **aJlsW~** to this question **IS rurther**  oomplioatad by oral. InformatIon,

not-in the Xetter of requaat, that a ramavel to the Commission is In hot a ravlew of the olaira.This sltuatlonexlstingas It does Rlaaea the proeadura strIotly within tha prohlbltlonfouud in Section 8 (a) quoted abova-,
ue advert partioularlpto that portion of f5actlon 8 (a) whiohrsade "r

. . and In no aase aasll. a hearingproased unIess the lmpartlalmambar of the Ccmmlssion 5s present.*

. . . Ths 'presenoe

and oouaurrenoaof tha impartlalmembar la 

### tturrdm mmdatory if .the

regloval

frW au 

### 8pped tribunal iS tankMouat to a revlaw 

### 0r the 

### olatsa

n QuastlanNo. 3 May the G&aeion act upon an applloatlon



### rar lea4 to appeal to ths 

### aolRIRi86ion 3.n the ebsanae of the ~urtIalmambar?*

The provisionsof Artiole 5221-b, Seotlon S-(e) Vernon*8 RavIsed GIvII Statutes,damand the presanoeof the &apartialmambar bafore a hearingmay prooead. yh, have WId Inil~~. urvll.Le

S. GqrpantBf.

page 4

w user to your saooxu? question, that under the faota as.we hars'tham,the ramoval of an appealvans that the mambara ham atudled the reaord and the ramoval la a rsvl&w, thus out anawar to your third qaeation la no. The bssle far our answar Is the
same as that in questiontnro;

WgueatlonNo; 4 ~Xnan aotlon by the Gommlsalon
unon an aoalloation;or leave lx aDDeal to the km-~- ~. ~~a_- mIssIon, is the onourrerioeof the--&artIal m%mb%r neoes~aary

to s dealsion?*

'The term ~"00110urren0e * is derlnsd by Webster asr **"Aot** 

### or oonourrlng*;"a meeting or corni&? together"; "union"; "aon- .' junotion*.

Th%ra is also tha Interpratatlckn 

### 0r oonourr%nae

to ba *in agreement

* as found In swords and **Phrases, PirEt**  **Cexiea pg.**  1390, and Worda end Phrases, Seoond series, Pa. 8!&

We arcwont to believe that.theuse implied in your ques

### tion la the -aotIng together-. This Infermrrsrasults tram ratlure to rjnd any raqu5ramantor lndloatlonthat the law aontamplatesthatall thrnmmbersm~~tagr88 onanappeal. Suoh
a aonolusionw0uld not be Ln hsrnsnywith the idea of a thra%-man baard. Adopting the vleu that aonaurr%no0embxapeathe sating
or preaenoa In tha me&In&.oi the isp?artIalmmb~, wei believe

**our statutes**  apiwifloally require the prsaenoe of the kpartIa1 I -bar on 

### any **aation,** but do%a not require the sfilrmatIv% vota 

### 0r .auoh

xns&er.

nere'the 

### -8son has grantad daiiwminatIm~a olatiicrr benefits and wheie Micah appeal M berma the Oem~IaaIon
on the raaord end so fori@ hearIng.haa been hald, Is the oonaurr%aaa0r ~the Impartlalmamber IXbO886ErF to a deslaianon auoh app%aX?a

TM.8 answer alao ambraoasprerloua QlauusaIonIn thIa oplnian, W% find nothIag In the Texas statuteson unamp&~

.. ~eomp~tlonInaur8nee that **suggest8** that the iagartI%laemb%r auat tippruve

a bsnsiit 01al.m

or appeal.

b%fore 1% oan be paid. It appears to us that the,- uWa&asntaof the law and psrtleularly Artlole $i42l-13,

S%otion 8 (e!, ar% 6atisfIed ii the **partial** member Is prssentet the hearing as aonaS.der~tIen of the olalm. The preseutior oonaurr%ne%of the I&partIal~~~bar is al.1 that Is riqulred, but the statute Is ol~~and~ unambIguouaIn its roquiraarent

hat suoh 

### member

be premmnt b&ore the hearingmay The atstutesappar%ntl.y do n@t lnt%nd that a deolalon ~~~*ln the abaenoe of the &psrtial m%mW.