1. (a) A treating doctor shall examine the employee and certify that an employee has reached maximum medical improvement and assign an impairment rating, if any, as soon as the doctor anticipates that the employee will have no further material recovery from or lasting improvement to the work-related injury or illness, based on reasonable medical probability.

2. (b) A treating doctor who certifies that the employee has reached maximum medical improvement shall assign an impairment rating and shall:

   1. (1) complete the report required by §130.1 of this title (relating to Reports of Medical Evaluation: Maximum Medical Improvement and Permanent Impairment); and
   2. (2) send it, no later than seven days after the examination, to the commission, the employee, or the employee's representative, if any, and the insurance carrier.
3. (c) The commission shall mail a notice to a treating doctor on the expiration of 98 weeks from the date the injured employee's temporary income benefits began to accrue if the employee is still receiving temporary income benefits. The commission's notice shall advise the treating doctor of the requirements the Texas Workers' Compensation Act, §4.26, and this rule, and require that an impairment rating report be mailed to the commission no later than 104 weeks from the date temporary income benefits began to accrue.

Source Note:The provisions of this §130.2 adopted to be effective March 7, 1991, 16 TexReg 1194.