Tribpedia: State Auditor

Tribpedia

The State Auditor audits Texas state government spending and tracks accountability in state agencies. 

The Legislative Audit Committee, a permanent standing committee, oversees the auditor's office.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online, a publication of the Texas State Historical Association:

"Authority and responsibility for audits of state-agency effectiveness and performance have also been placed by the legislature in ...

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Texas Gets a D+ in Public Integrity Study

Enlarge photo illustration by: Todd Wiseman

Texas scored a 68 out of 100, coming in at 27th place in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators.

In this clip from Monday's testimony, Commissioner Rod Bordelon of the state Division of Workers' Compensation explains why he dismissed several cases against doctors that a physician review panel had already sent to enforcement. Under questioning, he admits he looked into the process and subsequently shut it down after a call from state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler.

Amid Tumult, House Panel Seeks Workers' Comp Fixes

Was it a broken process or a breakdown in leadership that kept bad doctors from getting removed from the state workers' compensation system? Lawmakers sought to answer that question on Monday but left a House hearing with no clear understanding of why hundreds of potential enforcement actions stalled or disappeared entirely over the last half-decade.

Enlarge photo by: Todd Wiseman

State Audit Finds Massive Backlog at Workers' Comp

State auditors found muddled chains of command, missing files and a massive backlog of cases when they dug into the enforcement process at the Division of Workers' Compensation, according to a report released Thursday. The findings support the claims of former employees who exited the division this year amid complaints of stalled action on dozens of cases against workers' comp physicians accused of abusing the system.

Dr. Ken Ford and attorney Cathy Lockhart, who until recently investigated medical fraud for the state Division of Workers' Compensation, say the agency has failed to properly sanction unscrupulous doctors over the last half decade.
Enlarge photo by: Nathan Lindstrom, Jacob Villanueva
Dr. Ken Ford and attorney Cathy Lockhart, who until recently investigated medical fraud for the state Division of Workers' Compensation, say the agency has failed to properly sanction unscrupulous doctors over the last half decade.

Blowing the Whistle on Workers' Comp Abuse

Former employees of the Division of Workers' Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance say their higher-ups have failed to sanction or remove dozens of physicians accused of fraudently overbilling and overtreating patients, costing insurers millions of dollars. The allegations of stalled enforcement action have sparked an inquiry by the State Auditor’s Office, records show.