Workers’ compensation fraud may be carried out by claimants, employers, and medical providers. Although the vast majority of those participating in the workers’ compensation system are doing so legitimately, unfortunately, those who commit fraud are driving up the costs for everyone.
Workers’ compensation fraud is a crime. Under Rhode Island law, such fraud is punishable by civil and criminal penalties, including imprisonment. At Beacon Mutual, we take workers’ compensation fraud very seriously, and we are committed to being part of its solution.
If you suspect fraud, you may report it online. Please provide as much information as possible including:
After submitting your fraud report, Beacon Mutual will review all the information provided and contact you with more questions if needed. You may choose to remain anonymous, however, if you do not provide us with your contact information, it may affect our ability to completely investigate the fraud suspicion.
If you suspect fraud, please call Beacon’s toll-free number at 1-888-886-4450 to report it, or call the State of Rhode Island’s Fraud and Compliance Unit directly by dialing 401-462-8100 (option #7 on the menu).
To collect workers’ compensation benefits under false pretenses, claimants might attempt to submit a false report of injury, or might fail to disclose material facts about their condition or the circumstances of their injury. In addition, they might fail to report earnings while continuing to collect benefits.
To obtain insurance at less than the proper rate, employers might intentionally provide false information regarding their operations, including misclassifying the work performed by their employees, understating or failing to report employees’ payroll or making false statements regarding an employee’s injury.
To increase billing, or assist claimants or employers in committing workers’ compensation fraud, medical providers might intentionally submit invoices for unperformed or unnecessary services, misstate a claimant’s condition, or fail to classify or falsely classify injuries or conditions as work-related injuries.
Our experienced claim representatives are trained to recognize workers’ compensation fraud. As an employer, it is important to learn the common ‘red flags’ of claimant fraud to help protect your business. Read the blog article and download the “red flags of fraud flyer”.
