Quote of the day
"Once they start and get away with it, we have found that people in this kind of operation do it every way they can."
Paul Fick, senior deputy district attorney for Riverside County, regarding workers' compensation fraud charges filed against a home-building firm
Riverside County Prosecutors Charge Historic Workers’ Comp Fraud
The owners of a home-building company and two other individuals face 107 counts of defrauding insurance carriers and the state of more than $6 million, in the largest case of workers’ compensation fraud in county history, according to the Riverside County district attorney’s office. By Jonathan Shikes, Riverside Press-Enterprise
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State Fund to Hold Workplace Safety Seminar Next Week in Bakersfield
State Compensation Insurance Fund will sponsor a comprehensive workplace safety seminar in Bakersfield on Tuesday, March 20. The seminar will cover ergonomic workplace strategies, safety basics, and Cal/OSHA’s top ten workplace safety violations. Workers’ Comp Executive
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Opinion: Iowa Legislature’s Deadline Produces Bad-for-Biz Bill
Iowa State Sen. Brad Zaun says legislation that survived the Iowa Legislature’s so-called “funnel week” includes a bill that would repeal employer choice of medical provider in workers’ compensation claims, which would cause a nearly 14 percent increase in workers’ comp claims. Des Moines Register
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Washington Plans ‘Rate Holiday’ to Begin in July
Businesses and employees that pay into Washington State’s workers’ compensation insurance program will be given a “rate holiday” beginning July 1 that the state Department of Labor and Industries said could save workers and employers an estimated 34 percent of total paid premiums—about $315 million. They will not have to pay the Medical Aid Fund premium for the second half of the year. Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)
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Florida Woman Faces 30 Years for False Attendant Care Timesheets
A 57-year-old Washington County, Fla., woman is charged with workers’ compensation fraud and perjury for allegedly submitting attendant care timesheets for her injured husband that provided false information regarding the hours her husband’s attendant had worked. Emerald Coast
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Florida City Contends Cop’s Heart Condition Not Job-Related
A 21-year veteran of the Casselberry, Fla., police force fights for workers’ compensation he claims he is owed under state law to pay off more than $100,000 in hospital bills for heart surgery. The officer’s attorney says cities are trying to come up with exceptions to the legislation in order to deny benefits. WFTV (Orlando) [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
CNMI Workers’ Comp Boss Recommends Privatization
The head of the Northern Mariana Islands’ Workers’ Compensation Commission contends the cash-strapped government should give up a centralized insurance system and allow some agencies to obtain private insurance coverage. Administrator Mark Aguon warns that the government workers’ comp program would be wiped out with one major accident. By Liberty Dones, Saipan Tribune
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Missouri Worker Loses Carpal Tunnel Appeal
After winning before an administrative law judge and having that decision reversed by the state Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, an injured worker loses an appeal against AutoZone in the Missouri Court of Appeals in his attempt to collect workers’ compensation for bilateral carpel tunnel syndrome. Springfield News-Leader
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