The association can require certain benefit recipients to assign their rights and claims to it, and it may recover payments from people who later recover amounts covered by those rights.
Sec. 463.261. ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS. (a) A person receiving a benefit under this chapter, including a payment of or on account of a contractual obligation, continuation of coverage, or provision of substitute or alternative coverage, is considered to have assigned to the association the rights under, and any cause of action relating to, the covered policy to the extent of the benefit received. The association may require a payee, policy or contract owner, beneficiary, insured, enrollee, or annuitant to assign the person's rights and cause of action to the association as a condition of receiving a right or benefit under this chapter. (b) The association's subrogation rights under Subsection (a) have the same priority against the assets of the impaired or insolvent insurer as that held by the person entitled to receive a benefit under this chapter. (c) The association has all common law rights of subrogation and any other equitable or legal remedy that would have been available to the impaired or insolvent insurer or holder, beneficiary, enrollee, or payee of a policy or contract with respect to the policy or contract. (d) The rights of the association under Subsection (c) include, in the case of a structured settlement annuity, any rights of the owner, beneficiary, or payee of the annuity, to the extent of benefits received under this chapter, against any person originally or by succession responsible for the losses arising from the personal injury relating to the annuity or payment for the annuity, other than a person responsible solely by reason of serving as an assignee in respect of a qualified assignment under Section 130, Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. Section 130). (e) If a provision of this section is invalid or ineffective with respect to any person or claim for any reason, the amount payable by the association with respect to the related covered obligations is reduced by the amount realized by any other person with respect to the person or claim that is attributable to the policies, or portion of the policies, covered by the association. If the association has provided benefits with respect to a covered obligation and a person recovers amounts as to which the association has rights described in this section, the person shall pay to the association the portion of the recovery attributable to the policies, or portion of the policies, covered by the association. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 727 (H.B. 2017), Sec. 1, eff. April 1, 2007. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 730 (H.B. 2636), Sec. 3B.015(d), eff. September 1, 2007. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 921 (H.B. 3167), Sec. 9.015(d), eff. September 1, 2007. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 432 (S.B. 1153), Sec. 23, eff. September 1, 2019.