Workers’ compensation benefits are meant to help employees who have sustained job-related injuries and are struggling with the consequences of these injuries, such as financial problems due to missed work and medical costs. Unfortunately, some people take advantage of the system and attempt to pursue benefits that they are not entitled to. There are a number of reasons why people try to obtain workers’ comp benefits that they should not be entitled to and our law office believes that this is unacceptable. Unfortunately, many people have gotten away with fraudulent workers’ comp claims and received benefits that never should have been awarded.
Workers’ comp fraud may occur in a number of ways. In some instances, an employee may file a claim over an injury or illness that has been completely fabricated. Or, an employee may be struggling with a relatively minor injury or illness, but they may exaggerate the extent of their suffering in order to become eligible for these benefits. Furthermore, a worker may sustain an injury that took place outside of the workplace and they may try to claim that they were hurt on the job in order to qualify for workers’ comp.
Workers’ comp fraud can be very costly, and it is imperative to address any instances of fraud appropriately. There are many legal issues that employers may have to deal with when it comes to workers’ compensation insurance, and some have been taken to court over these issues (resulting in significant financial penalties, in some cases).