Being honest and telling the truth is a basic value of society. Many times, this value is reflected in the laws governing society, particularly in the workplace in California. However, when a worker fails to be truthful in a workers compensation claim, it can be financially damaging to an employer. This is why employers should always be wary of the potential of employee fraud.
This is what happened in a recent case involving a prison guard who claimed he was injured while on the job. The man claimed he was injured while breaking up a fight between prisoners. He ended up filing for total disability benefits via workers’ compensation insurance. The man collected a total of $48,000 while he was out on total disability.
However, his employer became suspicious after pictures of the prison guard participating in a fishing tournament surfaced last year. This prompted the employer to launch an investigation, which led to a challenge of the worker’s insurance claim. It turns out that the guard had also filed two earlier claims for repetitive trauma injuries. After going through the necessary legal process, the employer was able to have benefits related to these two claims denied.
This type of situation can happen to any employer in California. Therefore, no matter what industry, an employer should also be wary of the possibility of employee fraud related to workers’ compensation claims. This type of fraud can be financially detrimental to a company since it can cause insurance premiums to rise unnecessarily. In some cases, such as this instance, an employer may decide to take legal action to protect the employer’s financial interests.
Source: bnd.com, “Boating prison guard receives $48,000 workers??? compensation award“, George Pawlaczyk and Beth Hundsdorfer, October 24, 2015
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