Helena, MT – Montana State Fund (MSF), Montana’s largest workers’ compensation insurance company, recently presented a $25,000 check to Kids’ Chance of Montana, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for higher education to the children of workers who are injured or killed on the job. Kids’ Chance of Montana is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance… [Read more]
Work Force & Human Resource News
Ohio BWC Increases Prize Amounts for Safety Innovations Awards
Columbus, OH – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) recently announced that it is increasing the prize amounts for its 2020 Safety Innovation Awards to encourage participation and creative solutions to workplace safety hazards BWC has bumped the top award to $10,000, up from $6,000. Second place will receive $6,000 (up from $4,000) and… [Read more]
KEMI Donates $10,000 to Assist Coal Miners and Families Affected by Blackjewel Layoff
Lexington, KY – The Board of Directors for KEMI, Kentucky’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance to the coal industry, authorized a $10,000 donation to the Harlan County Community Action Agency, a 501(c)(3) charity that is offering support for miners and families affected by the layoff at Blackjewel, LLC. The check was presented on Thursday,… [Read more]
Ohio Trucker Convicted of Workers’ Comp Fraud
Columbus, OH – A Marysville truck driver was recently convicted of workers’ compensation fraud after the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation discovered he continued to work while collecting BWC benefits for a workplace injury he suffered more than a decade ago. Everett Ferryman pleaded guilty in a Franklin County courtroom to a fifth-degree felony count… [Read more]
NIOSH Study Examines Participation in Workplace Health Promotion Programs
Atlanta, GA – A new study by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that close to 47% of workers have access to workplace health promotion programs, and among those with access, only 58% of workers take advantage of them. The study was recently published in the American Journal of… [Read more]
CA Police Dispatcher Charged with Insurance Fraud
Santa Clara, CA – The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office recently announced that a San Jose police dispatcher has been charged with fraudulently pocketing more than $84,000 in Disability Insurance money after she returned to work after a non-work related disability. Wendy Vaccaro officially left work and began receiving payments in early 2017. She… [Read more]
Optum Wellness Study Finds More Employers Planning to Increase Investments
Eden Prairie, MN – More than 80% of employers said they are planning to increase their health and wellness budgets this year, more than double compared to 2009 (34%), according to the 10th annual Optum Wellness in the Workplace study. The study also found that employers are increasingly embracing digital technology to engage workers in… [Read more]
NCDOI Launches First Criminal Investigations Reserve Unit to Fight Fraud
Raleigh, NC – North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey recently organized its first Criminal Investigations Reserve Unit to combat the extensive number of fraud cases in the state. The new inductees, four veteran law enforcement personnel, were sworn-in at a ceremony at the Albemarle Building in Raleigh. “Today’s ceremony is a testament to the character… [Read more]
NY State Correction Officer Pleads Guilty, Resigns for Stealing Workers’ Comp Benefits
Buffalo, NY – New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro recently announced the guilty plea and resignation of a New York State correction officer for defrauding the workers’ compensation system and, through the submission of forged workers’ compensation leave documents, stealing more than $6,400 in benefits to which he was not entitled. Thomas Smart, Jr.… [Read more]
FL CFO Patronis Announces $737,000 Workers’ Comp Fraud Arrest in Miami
Miami, FL – Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis recently announced the arrest of Norma Lopez Cedillo, the President of Nuvo Contractor, Inc., for workers’ compensation fraud. Over a more than six-month period, Cedillo allegedly evaded paying nearly $737,000 in workers’ compensation insurance premiums. The company allegedly conducted more than $5.5 million in business… [Read more]