On behalf of The North Shore Injury Lawyer posted in Workers’ Compensationon Wednesday, November 29, 2017.
The workers’ compensation systems is there for those that really need it. Those who abuse it make it much harder on those who are really injured because they make everybody’s claim look a little more suspicious.
Usually, however, the worker faking a claim has to at least try hard enough to fool a doctor. In a case out of Albany, New York, a corrections officer working for the state didn’t even bother doing that. Instead, he simply made up his own medical reports saying that he was too disabled to work. He then turned those in with his claim.
It appears that the worker had filed a genuine claim once in 2015, for which he spent a couple of days off work. After that, however, it seemed like he decided that it was all-too-easy just to take some time off whenever he wanted by supplying his own documentation. He began submitting requests for leave from work along with the necessary documents saying that a doctor had found him entirely unfit for duty apparently whenever he felt like it—including for a entire 13-month period. During those breaks in employment, he continued to receive his full pay.
Now, the 29-year-old finds himself on the other side of the bars. He’d been arrested for submitting a total of 34 fake medical documents with forged signatures—both unique crimes that are considered felonies. He’s also been charged with grand larceny for the theft of $30,000 worth of workers’ compensation benefits that should have never gone to him.
If you find yourself having trouble collecting workers’ compensation, it’s generally because of cases like this. They usually result in reactionary rules and legislation that can make it harder for real victims of workplace injuries to collect.
Source:WorkersCompensation.com,“NYState Prison Guard Faked Medical Reports And Stole More Than $30,000 in Workers’ Comp Benefits While Not Working,” Nov. 27, 2017
