Conflicts Of Interest

A. If a dispute board member has a conflict of interest with respect to a hearing scheduled before the dispute board, a substitute shall be appointed by the chair for purposes of that particular hearing. A substitute member shall be from the same class as the member being replaced. B. A member will be deemed to have a conflict of interest if: (1) the member is associated with either party to the appeal; (2) the member is a direct competitor of either party; (3) the member is part of an affiliated group, any member of which is a direct competitor of either party; or (4) the member has any other material conflicting interest which would call into question that member's ability to render an unbiased decision. C. A member is associated or affiliated with a party if they are involved in a common business enterprise or if they are members of a controlled group as that term is defined by Section 851(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. A member is associated with the party if there is any familial relationship between them. D. The insurance company advisor will be deemed to have a conflict of interest only if it is one of the parties to the dispute. In the event such conflict of interest is deemed to exist for the insurance company advisor, a substitute insurance company shall be appointed by the chair to serve as the non-voting insurance company advisor for purposes of the particular hearing scheduled before the dispute board in which the conflict of interest exists. E. A conflict of interest may be waived if, after full disclosure of the facts raising such a conflict, all parties to the appeal agree to such waiver. F. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection B of this section, neither of the representatives from the office of superintendent of insurance and the advisory organization shall be deemed to have a conflict of interest with respect to any appeal brought before the dispute board based solely upon the representatives’ affiliation with the advisory organization or the office of superintendent of insurance.