(1) The board shall commence each term on January 1 of each year and shall terminate each term on December 31.
(2) At the beginning of each term the board shall either in person or by teleconference:
Elect a chair who shall be responsible for conducting each hearing;
Appoint the member representing the workers' compensation rating organization assecretary; and
Establish such organizational and procedural rules as are deemed necessary.
(3) The board shall meet as needed and in accordance with the following:
The board shall schedule a hearing within thirty days after receipt of an appeal.
The board shall provide written notice of a hearing to the appellant, the insurer, andthe workers' compensation rating organization within thirty days after receipt of an appeal, but not less than ten days before the hearing.
A hearing shall be conducted only if a quorum of the board is present, either inperson or by teleconference. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the voting members, including at least two private sector members.
Any decision of the board shall be by majority vote of the voting members who arepresent at the hearing.
A member's vote shall be cast only by such member.
If a board member has a conflict of interest with respect to any matter scheduled forhearing before the board, such member shall recuse himself or herself from any discussion and decisions on said matter unless, after full disclosure of the facts giving rise to such conflict, all parties to the appeal agree to waive such conflict. For purposes of this paragraph (f), a member shall be deemed to have a conflict of interest if such member:
Has a conflict that would call into question such member's ability to render an unbiased decision; and
Is associated with either party to the appeal. A member is "associated" with a partyto an appeal if:
The member and the party to the appeal are involved in a common business enterprise or are members of a controlled group, as defined in section 1563(a) of the federal
"Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended; or
The member has a familial relationship with the party to the appeal.
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (f) of this subsection (3), the member representing the workers' compensation rating organization shall not be deemed to have a conflict of interest with respect to any appeal based solely on his or her affiliation with his or her organization.
(4) The secretary of the board shall carry out the administrative functions of the board and shall be responsible for providing notice of, preparing the agenda for, and arranging the facilities for each hearing and meeting. The secretary shall also prepare a memorandum after each hearing that includes the vote of the board. Such memoranda shall be signed by the chair of the board and, each month, the secretary shall deliver copies of that month's memoranda to the workers' compensation rating organization.
Source: L. 96: Entire article added, p. 1141, § 1, effective October 1.