What is wrong with this picture?
Editor’s comment: We note our Illinois Commission is now searching furtively for more claimants to provide additional monies for the Rate Adjustment Fund. Funding of the Rate Adjustment Fund to increase the highest total and permanent and death benefits in the U.S. is the result of an assessment on Illinois employers as determined by the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Their website has a clarion call to claimants and attorneys to step up and get more money. They appear to lament the fact that only half of their inquiries result in responses. Our vote is to save the money spent in looking for these folks—if they need the dough, they will come to you to find it. If they don’t need it, they won’t.
On the Left Coast, we hear California has stepped up anti-fraud efforts to stop system abusers. California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced nearly $30 million in grants to district attorneys in 37 counties for aid in combating workers’ compensation fraud. The amount was an increase of almost $1 million over last year.
According to Commissioner Poizner, WC insurance fraud amounts to “a $500 hidden tax on every man, woman and child in California.” Funding for the grants is the result of an assessment on employers as determined by the Fraud Assessment Commission. The panel makes a recommendation to the insurance commissioner who can accept or amend the panel’s recommendation and the Insurance Commissioner’s final decision must be ratified by the Fraud Assessment Commission.
The United States Postal Service says they save about $200 million each year from surveillance and other fraud-busting efforts.
The amount of money spent by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission to assist Illinois State’s Attorneys in stopping workers’ compensation fraud is -0-, zero, zip, nada. The way for their agencies to apply for such assistance doesn’t exist. Trust us, the wise guys who run the Commission don’t want it and we may need something short of a revolution to put it into place.
Along the same lines, the amount of money spent by the State of Illinois, the County of Cook and the City of Chicago to perform surveillance on their injured workers and try to ferret out workers’ compensation fraud is the same amount, -0-, zero, zip, nada. They all have silent or open policies that anti-fraud efforts are not to be considered, implemented or funded. Our state, county and city taxes are going up exponentially. Does anyone see a link here?
