WorldWide Drilling Resource

Wh e the major ty of Workers Compensat on (Comp) njury c a ms are eg t mate, the Nat ona Insurance Cr me Bureau reports b ons of do ars of fa se and/or exagger- ated c a ms are subm tted each year. So beyond h r ng good emp oyees and keep ng a safe and product ve work p ace, know edge and awareness are your best too s for keep ng the cost of work-re ated njures under contro and mov ng n the d rect on they shou d. What s Workers Comp? It s a no-fau t method ( nsurance) of pay ng emp oyees for med ca expenses, permanent d sab ty, and/or wage osses due to on-the-job njur es. No fau t s an mportant term to know. It means regard ess of why or how an njury happened wh e on the job, t s covered, and by aw, Workers Comp must pay for t; thus prov d ng for both emp oyers and workers by g v ng everyone stab ty and conf dence after an njury. However, g ven human nature and the wor d we ve n, t often becomes an open door for abuse and exag- gerat on. The system s nuanced, comp ex, and var es w de y. Wh e no st can encapsu ate the myr ad of c rcum- stances and njur es wh ch may come about, here s my favor te short- st of th ngs to ook out for. 1. Monday Morning Syndrome - The a eged njury occurs e ther “f rst th ng Monday morn ng” or ate Fr day afternoon, but s not reported unt Monday. 2. Job Termination - If an emp oyee f es a post-term nat on njury c a m: • Was the njury reported pr or to term nat on? • Pre/post ayoff? • Were unemp oyment benef ts exhausted pr or to c a m ng a Workers Comp Injury? 3. Medical History - The emp oyee has a preex st ng med ca cond t on s m ar to the a eged work-re ated njury. 4. Constant Changes - The c amant s frequent y chang ng phys c ans, spec a sts, addresses, appo ntments, or even refus ng care - thus h nder ng treatment of the njury. 5. No Witnesses - The acc dent had no w tnesses, the emp oyee s own descr pt on does not support the cause of njury and conf cts w th the c rcumstances of the acc dent. 6. Hard to Reach - You have d ff cu ty contact ng a c a mant when he/she has been a eged y hurt or d sab ed. 7. Unusual Coincidence - Is there an unusua co nc dence between the njury and the emp oyee s fe events such as, f nanc a d f- f cu t es, d vorce, hobb es, act v t es, or moon ght ng? If two or more of these s gns are present, t shou d tr gger a red f ag n your mnd and be cause for he ghtened awareness and com- mun cat on w th your Workers Comp nsurer mmed ate y. Your v g ance w he p keep the system on the stra ght-and-narrow of pay ng for th ngs t was des gned to pay for, m t costs and prem ums, and u t mate y resu t n a more sat sfactory work comp exper ence. Kyle Kyle Rehme may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Kyle Rehme uses his personal knowledge of the water well, drilling, and environmental in- dustries to provide cus- tomers with practical insurance solutions. 7 Warning Signs of Workers’ Comp Fraud by Kyle Rehme VolkBell Property & Casualty Insurance, LLC , . *#! ' , , . &#," 1 0% "& 1 * ', &#," (%$ %% *() *,0 +- %,0 '+-* ' *#%% *+ 1 '- ,-* *+ 1 -))%# *+ 1'!#' *+ 1 ('+-%, ',+ 1 , * %% 1 ,"( # 1'.#*('& ', % 1 (," *& % 1 (' - ,(* (% *#%% *+ 1 #% # % *.# + 1 , * -&) *.# ) #* (',* ,(*+ /,(' * (*, (%%#'+ 23 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® APRIL 2016