Cassie Brown Appointed as Insurance Commissioner; Paschal to Serve as Acting WC Commissioner
Three years after taking the reins at the Division of Workers’ Compensation, Cassie Brown is leaving the agency to head the Texas Department of Insurance. Governor Greg Abbott announced the appointment this week. Deputy Commissioner of Policy and Customer Services Dan Paschal will serve as Acting Commissioner until the commissioner’s position is filled by the Governor.
Commissioner Brown was recently reappointed to head the workers’ compensation agency and the Texas Senate confirmed that appointment during the 2021 regular legislative session. While her new position will 
remove her from day-to-day oversight of the comp system, as head of TDI Brown will still have some regulatory power over workers’ compensation carriers. The Department of Insurance regulates Texas Workers’ Compensation Healthcare Networks, sets workers’ compensation rates, and approves policy language and endorsements.
Acting Commissioner Paschal will oversee the Division of Workers’ Compensation, which regulates most of the workers’ compensation system in Texas. The agency is charged with ensuring injured employees receive the necessary benefits to quickly return to work, and that workers’ compensation costs are kept at a reasonable level for Texas employers.
As Acting Commissioner, Paschal will be responsible for enforcing the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act and rules and administering the certified self-insurance program for individual employers. DWC’s responsibilities also include resolving claim level disputes about medical and income benefits, as well as medical fee disputes.
Before serving with the Division of Workers’ Compensation, Acting Commissioner Paschal worked with the Texas Department of Transportation as a director. He spent several years as a staffer in the Texas House of Representatives and in the Office of Governor Rick Perry. Paschal is a licensed attorney and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston Law Center. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserve, where he served as an intelligence officer.
Commissioner Brown was first appointed Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation in June 2018. Previously, she served as is deputy commissioner for Regulatory Policy at the Texas Department of Insurance. In addition, she served as a policy advisor to Governor Rick Perry. Brown received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. Edward’s University, and attended the Governor’s Executive Development Program at The University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs.
She also serves on the board of directors for the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions, as a member on the Executive Committee for the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators, and on the Executive Women in Texas Government President’s Advisory Committee.
Commissioner Brown’s appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
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