FAIRMONT — BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. takes fraud seriously and will take every step necessary to stop it.
BrickStreet Insurance recently hosted a brunch for Marion County Chamber of Commerce members and business representatives about workers’ compensation fraud. The event was part of the chamber’s 12th annual Small Business Expo, held Oct. 2 at the I-79 Technology Park Research Center in Fairmont.
The presentation last week was the first stop of BrickStreet’s media fraud tour. Becky Neal, vice president of government relations, said BrickStreet will travel all over the state and has dates booked through December. This is the company’s way of letting people know that it’s taking the fraud out of workers’ compensation, she said.
“There is a solution with fraud and workers’ compensation,” Neal said.
Dave Plantz, director of the Special Investigations Unit, and Neal discussed BrickStreet’s work over the past few years on workers’ compensation fraud. The American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds reports that workers’ comp fraud is one of the largest white-collar crimes in the United States.
BrickStreet’s fraud and abuse investigation and prosecution unit was formed in 2003, Plantz said. BrickStreet is headquartered in Charleston and has investigators who are responsible for the following areas: Fairmont, Kingwood, Charleston, Huntington, Logan, Beckley and Wheeling.
The unit’s mission “is to detect and deter potential fraud and abuse committed against BrickStreet Insurance and to thoroughly investigate and accurately report our findings.”
According to Neal, six out of seven of BrickStreet’s investigators are retired state police, which sets the company apart from other entities. Businesses can take control of their insurance policies and prevent fraud in the workplace, she said.
Fraud or abuse perpetrators can come in the form of employers, medical providers or claimants. Plantz and Neal focused on claimants as perpetrators.
BrickStreet’s Special Investigations Unit examines cases where individuals wrongfully go after benefits or aren’t truthful with the extent of their injuries, or where medical providers draw out treatment or have practices that are suspicious. Also, employers may incorrectly report how many employees they have or classify them wrongly.
There are several warning signs of fraud, such as suspicious timing of the injury and no witness to the accident. Other indications include sketchy details, a delay in reporting the injury to the employer, and a history of complaints with the employee.
Plantz said employers need to make a statement and take photos of the incident to be used in the investigation. Anything that the employer can do at the scene will help in the long run, he said.
When BrickStreet receives a workers’ comp claim, the investigators start by doing research. Before they begin the investigation and interviews, they first look into the claim for elements of fraud. Brickstreet tries to make this a quick process, Plantz said.
He explained the investigation process, from the research claim and claimant to the recommendation to BrickStreet or OIC.
In the 2006 calendar year, BrickStreet documented $268,317 in savings because of its fraud investigations. Money saved for 2007 measured approximately $1.8 million, and $219,111 for 2008 through May.
The total savings since 2006 come to $2.3 million, but Plantz estimated that it has probably reached $2.6 million or $2.7 million by this time of year.
Neal said workers’ compensation in West Virginia has come a long way since it changed from a state system to the private market. Workers’ comp is a wage replacement to help employers protect their greatest asset, which is their employees, she said.
Compared to the state system, BrickStreet has given fraud investigation a lot more attention, Plantz.
“I think it’s night and day difference (from) what it used to be,” he said.
At the end of the presentation, Plantz showed some raw video footage of fraud cases that BrickStreet has investigated.
“This is just an example of what we do every day,” he said of the clips.
To report workers’ compensation fraud, businesses can call the hotline at 1-866-926-3469 or e-mail reportfraud@brickstreet.com.
E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.
Business
BrickStreet takes workers’ comp fraud seriously
- Business
-
-
Online convenience
This tax season, the West Virginia State Tax Department is helping people understand the benefits of filing online and making them aware of the tax credits available.
“There’s a really good chance that people can save money ... and a bonus is you’ll get your refund a lot quicker,” Danny Forinash, public information officer for the State Tax Department, said of e-filing. -
J’s Supper Club: Fine dining, beautiful place
J’s Supper Club offers fine dining in an intimate atmosphere.
Business partners Janet Thompson and Janie Kerrigan opened the establishment in Fairmont at 1523 Mary Lou Retton Drive, across from the Armory, at the beginning of November. -
‘Almost like Cinderella’
When Morgantown business owner Diane Lewis was given the chance to attend the State of the Union address, “it was almost like Cinderella and being invited to the ball,” she said.
-
Dan Cava’s Used Cars opens in White Hall
Dan Cava’s Used Cars invites everyone to stop by and see its selection of quality, pre-owned vehicles.
This used car lot opened for business about a week ago in White Hall along U.S. 250, by the Go Mart gas station just down the road from Dan Cava’s Toyota World. Middletown Tractor was previously located at this site. -
Finalists work toward next round of business competition
The 10 teams remaining in the 2011-12 West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition are gaining “phenomenal experience.”
Those finalists were announced in December following round two of the competition, which was held Nov. 15 at the University of Charleston. -
Auto parts focus of Shaffer’s Recycling Center
John Shaffer, of the new Shaffer’s Recycling Center, loves his work and is following in his dad’s footsteps.
In November, he and his wife Kim officially started the business at 300 Jefferson St. in Fairview. After coming into town, people can find the facility by turning right past First Exchange Bank and traveling about a quarter of a mile. Residents may remember the building as the former home of Fairview Bit. -
Rider Pharmacy marking 45th anniversary
Rider Pharmacy has worked hard over the past 45 years to establish superior customer service and products.
The late Alice Bennett established Bennett’s Pharmacy in 1939 at 310 Merchant St. in Fairmont, across the street from where Rider Pharmacy is located today. -
Unemployment rate falling in most state counties
Most counties in the state have improved their unemployment rates, and this trend is expected to continue gradually in the near future.
WorkForce West Virginia recently released Labor Market Information by West Virginia County for November 2011. The report provides a county emphasis map, which is a ranking of the counties. -
Whitney Helms relocates to Les Cheveux
“Boring” isn’t a word Whitney Helms associates with her job.
Helms, who recently relocated to Les Cheveux in Fairmont, gets to do a variety of beauty-related tasks in her profession, which keeps her on her toes and makes her work interesting. -
INNOVA investing in new ethane ‘cracker’ technology
INNOVA Commercialization Group of Fairmont is helping Aither Chemicals of South Charleston keep West Virginia resources in the state.
INNOVA, an initiative of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, recently invested $200,000 in Aither Chemicals, which is developing a new ethane “cracker” technology. - More Business Headlines
-
Online convenience
