California: Former county fireman pleads guilty to insurance fraud over workers’ comp claim
A 34-year-old former Ventura County fireman pleaded guilty Monday to insurance fraud related to a workers’ compensation claim for allegedly misrepresenting the nature and extent of an on-the-job injury as well as his physical capabilities. It’s unclear how the fraud was uncovered or reported. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, he is expected to pay $100,000 in restitution and $30,000 in fees at sentencing. Ventura County Star
Florida ranks high in COVID workers’ comp claims
Florida, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut and New Jersey had more than 300 COVID-19-related workers’ compensation claims for every 100,000 active claims, according to a report released by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The report’s authors hypothesized that women represent the majority of COVID-19 medical claims because women comprise 85 percent of the nation’s nursing, home health care and nursing aide workforces. CBS Miami [with video]
Oregon’s largest hospital system continues to deny employees’ COVID-19 workers’ comp claims
Providence Health & Services, Oregon’s biggest hospital group, is locked in a battle with its own employees about whether they’re owed workers’ compensation for getting exposed to COVID-19 on the job. All of Oregon’s nearly 2 million employees are covered by workers’ compensation insurance. About 20 percent of those employees work in healthcare. However, a disproportionate number of all denied nondisabling workers’ compensation claims related to COVID-19 come from Providence Health & Services, which is self-insured. Willamette Week