Rocky Hill, CT – A Cromwell woman has been arrested and charged with illegally collecting Workers’ Compensation benefits while being employed as a Licensed Practical Nurse with the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Erin Coughlin was arrested on March 11, 2022 by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant charging her with one count of Fraudulent Claim or Receipt of Benefits and one count of Larceny in The First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, in January 2020, while working for the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Coughlin was injured while she attempted to restrain a combative patient. Coughlin claimed she sustained injuries to her lower back.
Coughlin was placed on Temporary Total Disability (TTD) and began receiving TTD benefits from the State of Connecticut. TTD benefits are wage replacement monies for those who qualify under the program. During that period of benefits, the recipient is considered to have zero work capacity and must inform her employer of any improvements in their injuries. They also are required to report any income beyond the benefits provided.
Coughlin received TTD Workers’ Compensation benefits in the amount of $18,133.20 from January through May 2020. Documentation showed that while out on TTD Workers’ Compensation, Coughlin also was working as a Licensed Practical Nurse for a private company.
Coughlin was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on March 22, 2022.
The case will be prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill. The charges are merely accusations and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: CT CSAO