A. The director shall establish an ombudsman program to assist injured or disabled workers, persons claiming death benefits, employers and other persons in protecting their rights and obtaining information available under workers' compensation and occupational disease disablement laws.

B. An ombudsman shall meet with or otherwise provide information to injured or disabled workers, investigate complaints and communicate with employers, insurance carriers and health care providers on behalf of injured or disabled workers. An ombudsman shall otherwise assist unrepresented claimants, employers and other parties to enable them to protect their rights in the workers' compensation and occupational disease disablement system. At least one specially qualified employee in each location that the administration has an office shall be designated by the director as an ombudsman, and duties described in this section shall be that person's primary responsibility. The director may designate additional ombudsmen and assign them as the director deems appropriate.

C. An ombudsman need not be an attorney but shall demonstrate familiarity with workers' compensation and occupational disease disablement laws.

D. An ombudsman shall not be an advocate for any person and shall restrict ombudsman's activities to providing information and facilitating communication. An ombudsman shall not assist a claimant, employer or any other person in any proceeding beyond the informal conference held pursuant to Section 52-5-5 NMSA 1978.

E. Each employer shall notify the employer's employees of the ombudsman service in a manner prescribed by the director. The notice shall include the posting of a notice in one or more conspicuous places. The director shall also describe clearly the availability of the ombudsmen on the first report of accident form required under Section 52-1-58 NMSA 1978, or the first report of disablement form required under Section 52-3-51 NMSA 1978.

History: Laws 1990 (2nd S.S.), ch. 2, § 64; 2004, ch. 118, § 1; 2013, ch. 134, § 6.

The 2013 amendment, effective July 1, 2013, allowed an ombudsman to hold another position in the workers' compensation administration upon leaving the position of ombudsman; and in Subsection C, deleted the former second sentence, which made an ombudsman ineligible to hold another position in the workers' compensation administration for one year after leaving the position of ombudsman.

The 2004 amendment, effective July 1, 2004, amended Subsection C to change the period of ineligibility for serving in another position in the administration from five years to one year.

Law reviews. — For survey of 1990-91 workers' compensation law, see 22 N.M.L. Rev. 845 (1992).