The Houston Employment Law Blog - Find Houston Employment Lawyers


Texas Mutual Insurance Co. Wins Workers' Comp Fraud Case

| No TrackBacks

Employees who are injured on the job can usually apply for workers' compensation through the Texas Department of Insurance. Yet it's important to realize that the Lone Star state has specific rules and laws when it comes to receiving workers' compensation. When people don't follow these rules and gain personal benefits that they're not legally entitled to, they can be charged with workers' compensation fraud; which would lead them to need a Texas employment lawyer.

MSN Money reports that a Travis County court recently ordered Lashantae Reeves to repay $21,000 she collected from an Austin-based workers' compensation insurer. In addition to repaying the benefits, she was sentenced to one year deferred adjudication. This fraud case came about when the worker claimed that an injury disabled her from her job. Yet, Lashantae Reeves continued to accept payments from the workers' compensation carrier Texas Mutual Insurance Co. after she went back to work as a law firm customer service representative in and health clinic education coordinator in Houston.

According to MSN, the Texas law requires claimants to contact their workers' comp carrier when they return to work. Because the woman was receiving pay from the workers' compensation fund while working two other jobs, she faces fraud charges. While there are many legitimate claims for workers' compensation when people are injured in the workplace, there are also many cases of workers' compensation fraud. The Texas Department of Insurance reports that insurance carriers are not required to report fraud, so it's impossible to determine the amount of fraud that occurs each year.

If you have specific questions about worker's compensation, it may be useful to speak with a Houston employment lawyer.

Related Resources:

  • Handling a Claim: Employer and Employee Responsibilities (FindLaw)
  • Workers' Compensation - Resources (FindLaw)
  • Contact a Houston Employment Lawyer (FindLaw)

No TrackBacks

TrackBack URL: http://houstonemploymentlawsblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/10895