Since its establishment five months ago, the new in-house fraud unit at the Division of Workers’ Compensation has opened more than 40 investigations and hired additional fraud investigators to extend its reach.
“It’s a huge benefit to have a fraud unit that is 100 percent dedicated to workers’ compensation,” said Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Ryan Brannan. “In-house investigators are more exposed to workers’ compensation issues, so they are aware of the latest schemes.”
Teresa Carney, DWC’s Director of System Monitoring and Oversight, said that in an effort to coordinate anti-fraud efforts, the unit reaches out to insurance carriers, district attorneys, fraud prevention groups, and DWC employees.
“We can’t do it alone,” she said. “Workers’ compensation fraud impacts all Texans, and we want to work with people who want to help stop workers’ compensation fraud. Many complaints come from injured employees or insurance carriers, but we can also be proactive by reviewing the claim or medical billing data already on hand or tap people in our Hearings Division or maybe a field office, who help in the workers’ compensation system every day.”
While most cases of work-related injuries are successfully handled by the workers’ compensation program, several fraud efforts are attempted to benefit from the program on a regular basis. Fortunately, workers’ comp has established a division to specifically focus on these fraud efforts to ensure the program can focus on real cases. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.
