Allen County woman sentenced for colluding with claimant who alleged he was permanently and totally disabled

A Spencerville (Lima County) woman has been sentenced for colluding to commit workers’ comp fraud with an acquaintance who was sentenced for fraud last year. Angela Pugin pleaded guilty to a felony count of complicity to commit workers’ compensation fraud on April 18 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID) …

Mansfield man ordered to repay nearly $1,700 in workers’ comp benefits

A Mansfield man has been ordered to repay the BWC nearly $1,700 in injured workers’ benefits he received while working concurrently in the insurance industry. James Bulakovski, 40, was sentenced April 27 in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Acting on a tip, the BWC’s Northeast Regional Special Investigations Unit (SIU) found Bulakovski working as …

Columbus woman will repay $12,000 in ill-gotten workers’ comp benefits

A Columbus (Franklin County) woman has been ordered to repay more than $12,000 to BWC after investigators found she was working while receiving workers’ comp benefits. Susan Meaney was sentenced in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on April 15. SID’s Intelligence Unit found during a database cross-match with the Ohio Department of Job …

Management commitment key to safety culture

By Rich Gaul, BWC Safety Technical Adviser Leadership is the key to creating the organizational change necessary to achieve a world-class safety culture. What is safety culture?  Culture is like the wind: you can’t really see it, but you see the effects it has on everything around it.  Although you may not be able to see the …

Columbus man guilty of fraud, ordered to repay $5,000

Keith Mitchell of Columbus (Franklin County) was sentenced in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas this week following a BWC investigation that found he worked while receiving workers’ comp benefits. BWC’s Special Investigations Department received an allegation that Mitchell was working for a packaging company. The investigation confirmed Mitchell was employed with Adecco and …

BWC investigations result in four workers’ comp fraud convictions in March

Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer announced today that four individuals were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, charges related to defrauding Ohio’s workers’ compensation system in March 2016. These court actions are the result of investigations conducted by BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID). “I’m pleased these claimants are now on the …

Don’t overlook this important part of risk management

Rich Gaul, BWC Safety Technical Adviser At BWC, we are committed to assisting businesses in fostering a safe and healthful workplace.  As an employer, you recognize that keeping your most valuable asset – your workforce – safe and healthy is the cornerstone of a successful business.  That’s why back in 2010, BWC modified its drug-free workplace …

Elyria man worked for multiple companies while on workers’ comp

An Elyria (Lorain County) man must repay more than $20,000 after he was caught working for multiple companies while receiving workplace injury benefits. SID began investigating Kevin Gruver after receiving an allegation indicating he had returned to work with Adecco while collecting benefits for a workplace injury.  Investigators found that Gruver did return to work …

Youngstown woman owes $94K after pleading guilty to workers’ comp fraud

YOUNGSTOWN – A Youngstown (Mahoning County) woman has been ordered to repay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) nearly $94,000 in workplace injury benefits she collected illegally. Zelma Forro pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas. “Ms. Forro was able to collect a substantial amount of money …