Maryland Comp Agency Offers 'Red Flags' Fraud Advice
OSHA has its "It's the Law" poster explaining workers' rights and how they can report safety problems. Maryland's Injured Workers' Insurance Fund has the "Red Flags of Workers' Comp Claimant Fraud" page, which lists warning signs that IWIF says should not be ignored.
The "Red Flags" page indicates how a worker behaves and also the circumstances of the alleged injury can reveal fraud. Some are obvious, such as having a poor work attendance record or having financial problems, but others may not be. Hiring a lawyer on the day of the injury is one of these; another is having problems with workplace relationships. If the injury happened on a Friday or a Monday soon after the employee returned to work; if it was not witnessed by co-workers or anyone else; if it happened in an area where the employee was not usually working, these are red flags, the agency says. The page also says disgruntled ex-girlfriends and ex-spouses are one of the agency's best sources for smoking out fraudulent claims.
IWIF write comp insurance for more than 32,000 Maryland-based businesses. Visit www.iwif.com/html/about/Red%20Flags/Red%20Flags%20Comp%20Fraud.pdf to read its "Red Flags" page.