Channel 3 had an inaccurate and one-sided report on fraud by injured workers yesterday. Billie-Marie Morrison, a wonderful workers’ compensation attorney with Craig P. Kenney & Associates wrote to the the reporter and asked him to make corrections and to also report on insurer and employer fraud. We will see whether he does that. Meanwhile, let’s hope that insurers don’t seize upon this false picture painted by the media to deny more legitimate claims.
I’d love to see some reporting on the number of employers who falsely report payroll to pay lower premiums or who don’t bother to purchase coverage for workers in Nevada. I’ve got a case right now involving a Las Vegas construction company who had a carpenter sign an agreement that he wouldn’t be covered in the event he was injured. Despite the fact that Nevada has a law that clearly states that a licensed general contractor is responsible for providing workers’ compensation coverage for any
so-called independent contractors or sub-contractors, neither the DIR, nor a Dept. of Administration hearings officer understand that what this employer is doing is fraudulent and illegal. I’m not done litigating this case, but thus far, it has been a huge travesty of justice that my client, with his half amputated thumb, cannot get medical care or compensation benefits because this employer doesn’t want to pay premiums to cover him for any job injuries.
Another dedicated workers’ compensation attorney is sending the Channel 3 reporting an email about the insurer fraud that goes on in Nevada involving reviewing doctors hired by insurers whose job it is to deny medical care requested by treating doctors that the insurer hand picks to be on their exclusive provider lists. Again, we shall see whether Channel 3 responds with additional reporting on employer and insurer fraud.
