Senior Citizen Busted

• A Florida man is in hot water after filing a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim.
• The alleged fraudster said he hurt his back at a flooring company where he worked but failed to alert his co-workers, before going to urgent care. He also didn’t do any heavy lifting that day.
• He reportedly lied when asked if he had any other source of income. He was working for a paint company.
• He is accused of stealing thousands of dollars in workers’ comp benefits and is charged with both workers’ comp fraud and criminal mischief. This is also not his first crime.
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Sting Brings Fraudsters Down

• More than 12 people have been arrested after Florida detectives uncovered a network of workers’ comp fraudsters.
• The gang of alleged wrong-doers agreed to enter into contract agreements, to avoid paying workers’ comp insurance, among other things.
• Not carrying workers’ compensation allows employers to avoid paying sometimes thousands of dollars in premiums, especially for high-risk jobs. And puts workers at risk.
• According to the Manatee County sheriff, these stings are carried out periodically, especially in the construction industry.
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Minnesota Buckles Down on Misclassification

• The Gopher State has proposed a bill, HF 4444, that prohibits businesses from signing contracts with employees, asking them to agree to be misclassified as anything but an employee.
• While employees are guaranteed benefits, such as workers’ compensation, independent contractors are not. By classifying employees as independent contractors, employers also score lower workers’ comp premiums.
• The bill uses a multi-factor test that clearly defines the relationship between employer and employee. If the bill becomes law, employers convicted of deliberate misclassification are required to pay $10,000 per violation.
• Industry is against the bill.
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Worker Gets Another Whirl

• The Ohio Supreme Court rules that an injured worker can proceed with a second workers’ comp claim, despite the time lapse. Injured worker, Brian Caldwell, an employee of Whirl Pool Corporation, suffered a hernia and submitted a claim with the Bureaus of Workers’ Compensation.
• After receiving his benefits, Caldwell filed an additional claim for other conditions, and was denied by the Industrial Commission because, under statute, time had expired. An appellate court agreed.
• The Ohio Supreme Court disagrees, ruling that the statute only applies to challenges before the commission and has no bearing on a case, after it enters the court system.
• Therefore, an injured is not precluded from filing another claim.
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