The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) supports workers and their employers when there is a job-related illness or injury. Employees who get laid up after getting hurt on the job need medical care, monetary compensation, and time to recover. In turn, employers suffer financially when they get sued for each on-the-job injury, and some of these claims are not legitimate. Although workers’ comp is essential for addressing employers’ and employees’ needs, this program loses millions of dollars to fraud every year.
In general, workers’ compensation fraud refers to actions and misrepresentations that employers, employees, health care providers, and insurers take to acquire monetary reimbursement to which they are not entitled.
In recent years, the Special Investigation Department of the Ohio BWC handled these cases:
- In March of 2022, Rick Tackett was ordered to pay back over $6,000 after pleading guilty to one first-degree misdemeanor count of workers’ compensation fraud. He was also sentenced to one month of probation. He was working as a hospital security guard while receiving workers’ comp benefits.
- In July of 2020, truck driver Everett Ferryman continued to work after receiving BWC benefits from a ten-year-old injury. The court ordered him to pay back almost $23,000 and sentenced him to five years of probation. Ferryman also received a suspended prison sentence of one year.
If You Suspect Workers’ Comp Fraud
Unfortunately, there will always be a few employers, employees, and health care providers who seek to get something for nothing through the workers’ comp system. If you have knowledge of fraud, report it. You only need to suspect that fraud is occurring, not prove it. If you are a victim of workers’ compensation fraud, you can talk to experienced workers’ compensation attorneys in Cincinnati to know your rights and how to protect yourself.