Seattle Man Ordered to Repay State $353,998

Sept. 26, 2001
A Seattle man has been ordered to repay the state of Washington $353,998 after an investigation showed he continued to work while collecting workers' compensation benefits.

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In one of the largest fraud orders ever issued against an individual, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has ordered a 64-year-old Seattle man to repay the state $353,998 after an investigation showed he continued to work while collecting workers'' compensation benefits.

Bob Chaffin began collecting benefits in 1985 after he claimed he was disabled by an injury that left him with tremors, shakes and cognitive difficulties. Since then he has routinely filed verification forms saying he was unable to work.

L&I''s investigation, however, discovered that Chaffin continued to earn money, working under 10 aliases, six social security numbers and at least five business names.

For much of the time he was collecting state benefits, Chaffin was traveling the country selling his skills as a hypnotist, working at carnivals, trade shows and fairs and selling self-help hypnosis tapes for weight loss, smoking cessation and relaxation. The evidence against Chaffin included video of him hawking his wares and running four booths at the Spokane County Fair, according to L&I.

Over a period of seven years he deposited nearly $800,000 in two checking accounts.

The order against Chaffin reflects the amount of money he collected in workers'' compensation benefits plus penalties, interest and the expense of L&I''s investigation.

The agency has turned the case over to prosecutors for the possible filing of criminal charges.

The Washington Department of L&aI manages the state''s workers'' compensation system, providing coverage for more than 163,000 employers and 1.9 million workers.

by Virginia Foran

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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