Lisa Middleton, senior vice president of internal affairs for State Compensation Insurance Fund, is taking the helm of the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Assessment Commission. The vote was unanimous. Middleton takes the place of Safeway’s Bill Zachry, who now sits on the State Fund board of directors.

Middleton has been with State Fund for 35 years and on the Fraud Assessment Commission for a little over a year. During her time at SCIF, Middleton says she’s seen every kind of fraud from applicant fraud to broker fraud. During a speech in support of her candidacy, Middleton said she wants to continue the good work of the Commission and former chair Bill Zachry. Middleton emphasized the importance of using the Commission as a bully pulpit to bring the fraudsters to justice, educate the legislators in Sacramento, and support the fraud fighters in the Department of Insurance.

“We need to improve the quality of our meetings to better highlight the extent and impact of workers’ comp fraud and those approaches to fraud fighting that are working. We need to work more closely at the community level with the district attorneys and CDI,” Middleton said.

Middleton said the Fraud Assessment Commission also needs a charter and bylaws to define what the Fraud Commission is going to do and how it’s going to do it. Middleton said the Fraud Commission also needs a budget.

“Right now, we survive as a non-line item in the Department of Insurance budget,” she said.

In addition to Middleton’s election, the Fraud Commission also introduced two new members, including Don Marshall, vice president at Zenith Insurance Company and John Riggs, manager of workers’ comp services at Disneyland Resort.

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Filed by Bess Shapiro in Sacramento.