Businesses responsible for injuries to their employees on the job should certainly have to pay for worker’s compensation. After all, if the injury occurred at work and it would have been avoidable with better safety on the part of the company, it makes sense that they would have to pay compensation. It should work that way, and it does in many cases. However, some employees out there are looking for some easy money without having to work for it, and they may well decide to take advantage of the system and bilk it for whatever they can get.
Employees such as those are bilking companies all across the country out of countless millions of dollars each year. If you are not careful, your company could fall victim to this as well. Already, you are suffering from what other employees from other companies have done. You have to pay higher premiums for worker’s comp insurance since the insurers have to raise their rates to accommodate loss of money due to the people who are stealing from the system. No one likes the thought of paying higher premiums because of someone else!
Dealing with Fraud
Worker’s comp fraud is a serious issue, and you have to deal with it proactively in your own company. However, that does not mean that you should come out and accuse your injured employees of faking their injuries or faking how severe those injuries are. Instead, employers need to be smart about how they approach the situation. For example, in some cases, the injuries are indeed very real. Still, there may be some instances when you are relatively certain the person is faking the injury or pretending that it is worse than it is.
When you suspect something strange, instead of confronting the employee on your own, a mistake that many business owners and managers make, it is a good idea to hire an investigator. Hiring an investigator can help to eliminate those fraudulent claims, which can help to keep a lower insurance premium.
What Does an Investigator Do?
The investigator will want to observe the individual by conducting surveillance on the person suspected of faking the injury or the severity of the injury. Investigators may have to spend several sessions following the individual, surreptitiously recording behavior that would indicate that they are faking the injury or showing that the claim is legitimate. Having this evidence on video is the perfect way to show that the employee is committing insurance fraud.
At that point, the employer can actually follow through and prosecute the worker’s comp fraud. This helps to send a message to everyone that behavior such as that is intolerable.
It is unfortunate that these things have to happen, but it is in the nature of many people to look for the easiest way out of any situation, including work. Defrauding the insurance companies is just one of the ways that some employees take advantage. Others steal right from the company. No matter what you might suspect, insurance fraud, theft, corporate espionage, or something else entirely, hiring a quality private investigator is one of the best ways to make sure your company is safe.
If you have questions or concerns about someone in your own company who might be committing insurance fraud for compensation, get in touch with us right away. Send us an email or call us so you can set up a free consultation. We can discuss your situation and your options. Even if it turns out that the injury is actually real and legitimate, you will have peace of mind knowing your employee was not trying to defraud you and the insurance company.