Court Opinion

ID: 9680654
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:35:46.701568+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:29.870728
License: Public Domain

CALVERT, Chief Justice
(concurring).
It is unfortunate that the Industrial Accident Board should ever have adopted a practice of refusing to act on claims for compensation for want of jurisdiction or of dismissing them for that reason. The practice has resulted in confusing situations and a confusion of remedies as is so well illustrated by the cases cited and analyzed in the court’s opinion in this case, with the proper remedy often made to turn on the peculiar wording of the particular order. But however that may be, there should be no occasion for continuing the confusion.
The Board has jurisdiction of every claim filed seeking benefits under the Texas Workmen’s Compensation Act. It has jurisdiction to grant the claim, in whole or in part, and to deny it. If it does not make an award of benefits, it should deny the claim. It should deny the claim if it is of the opinion that the claimant is not entitled to the benefits he seeks, whatever may be its reason for reaching that conclusion.