Understanding what the Board does to investigate chiropractors
The Texas Board of Chiropractor Examiners has the legal authority to investigate violations of the Texas Chiropractic Act and take appropriate disciplinary action in response. Notably, the Board handles only allegations of professional misconduct, such as failure to meet standards of care, and does not adjudicate matters such as customer service issues or fee disputes. As such, when a complaint is received, the Board will first conduct a preliminary review and investigation to determine whether the alleged issue falls under its jurisdiction. While you may be notified during this initial investigation, the Board is not required to do so.
If the TBCE determines that the allegations against you do in fact fall under its jurisdiction, a formal investigation will be opened and you will be notified that a complaint has been made against your license. At that stage, you have a brief window of time to respond to the allegations. Depending on the result of the investigation, you may be invited to participate in an informal conference, where you have the opportunity to show compliance with the Chiropractic Act. This is also an opportunity to negotiate a resolution with the Board. However, if a resolution cannot be reached, the next stage is a formal administrative hearing.
If your case proceeds to a formal hearing, you and the Board will go before an administrative law judge (ALJ) at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). The ALJ will then issue a proposed decision on the matter. However, the ALJ’s ruling is not binding – the TBCE has the authority to accept or modify the order and make the final decision on any disciplinary action. Your only recourse after the SOAH hearing is to appeal the case to district court in Travis County.
