A good idea for the near future: Huddle up with Benefits staffers to make sure your firm has a solid system for investigating fishy disability claims.
Why? Much like other types of employee fraud, phony disability claims have risen significantly in the past year.
According to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the number of questionable claims was much greater in the first quarter of 2009 than it was in the first quarter of 2008.
The report compares claims reviewed and classified as possibly fraudulent by insurance companies.
Specifically, it may be a good idea to pay extra attention to any claims that fall into the following two categories — categories that saw a drastic increase in the first quarter of 2009:
- the number of employees filing workplace slip-and-fall claims against their employers increased 77%, and
- the number of suspected fraudulent claims related to workers’ compensation increased 71%.
