Virginia Code 65.2-201: General duties and powers of the Commission
A. It shall be the duty of the Commission to administer this title and adjudicate issues and controversies relating thereto. In all matters within the jurisdiction of the Commission, it shall have the power of a court of record to administer oath, to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents, to punish for contempt, to appoint guardians pursuant to Part C (§ 64.2-1700 et seq.) of Subtitle IV of Title 64.2, and to enforce compliance with its lawful orders and awards. The Commission shall make rules and regulations for carrying out the provisions of this title.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 65.2-201
- Award: means the grant or denial of benefits or other relief under this title or any rule adopted pursuant thereto. See Virginia Code 65.2-101
- Commission: means the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission as well as its former designation as the Virginia Industrial Commission. See Virginia Code 65.2-101
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Employer: includes (i) any person, the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and any individual, firm, association or corporation, or the receiver or trustee of the same, or the legal representative of a deceased employer, using the service of another for pay and (ii) any volunteer fire company or volunteer emergency medical services agency electing to be included and maintaining coverage as an employer under this title. See Virginia Code 65.2-101
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
B. The Commission may appoint deputies, bailiffs, and such other personnel as it may deem necessary for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this title.
C. The Commission or any member thereof or any person deputized by it may for the purposes of this title subpoena witnesses, administer or cause to be administered oaths, and examine or cause to be examined such parts of the books and records of the parties to a proceeding as relate to questions in dispute arising in instances in which the Commission has power to award compensation. This authority shall extend to requests from like agencies of other states who honor similar requests from the Commission.
D. The Commission shall publish and, upon request, furnish free of charge, such blank forms and literature as it shall deem requisite to facilitate or promote the efficient administration of this title. The Commission shall publish a workers’ compensation guide for employees which informs an injured employee of his rights under this title. If the Commission receives notice of an accident, it shall provide a workers’ compensation guide to the employee.
E. A majority of the commissioners, including any deputy commissioner appointed or retired commissioner recalled pursuant to subsection D of § 65.2-705, shall constitute a quorum for the exercise of judicial, legislative, and discretionary functions of the Commission, whether there is a vacancy in the Commission or not, but a quorum shall not be necessary for the exercise of its administrative functions.
F. The Commission shall tabulate the accident reports received from employers in accordance with § 65.2-900 and shall publish the same in the annual report of the Commission and as often as it may deem advisable, in such detailed or aggregate form as it may deem best. The name of the employer or employee shall not appear in such publications, and the employers’ reports shall be private records of the Commission and shall not be open for public inspection except for the inspection by the parties directly involved, and only to the extent of such interest. These reports shall not be used as evidence against any employer in any suit at law brought by any employee for the recovery of damages.
Code 1950, §§ 65-10, 65-14, 65-16, 65-19; 1952, c. 14; 1962, c. 339; 1968, c. 660, §§ 65.1-11, 65.1-18, 65.1-22; 1983, c. 102; 1991, c. 355; 2004, c. 178; 2012, c. 588; 2018, c. 250.