Washington''s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has ordered a 54-year-old Vashon, Wash., man to repay workers'' compensation benefits he fraudulently collected by claiming he was injured and unable to work.
Terrill Myers was caught when L&I fraud investigators cross-matched their records with records from the state Department of Employment Security.
Myers was injured in November 1995 while working as a church custodian in Seattle. An investigation by L&I found that in 1999 and 2000, Myers worked as a bookkeeper. During that same period, Myers reported to L&I that he was unable to work because of his on-the-job injury.
As a result of that claim, Myers collected about $39,000 in benefits, including money for vocational retraining and travel. L&I ordered Myers to repay $59,600. In administrative fraud cases, state law allows L&I to assess a 50 percent penalty.
L&I manages the workers'' compensation system in Washington. It oversees premium payments and benefits for about 160,000 employers and 1.8 million workers.
by Sandy Smith ([email protected])