Investigators and law enforcement personnel from the California Department of Insurance and five northern California counties recently gathered at State Fund’s Santa Rosa Regional Office for a training session on workers’ comp fraud.
Staff from State Fund’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) presented information on workers’ compensation policies and claims to nine investigators and one deputy district attorney from Butte, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Shasta counties. Two detectives from the Department of Insurance were in attendance as well.
With insurance fraud on the rise, the seminar could not have been more timely.
MaryAnn Lazernik, SIU Program Manager, described the four-hour seminar as successful.
“We are working to foster closer working relationships with Law Enforcement and are convinced this will translate into improved investigations and referrals, and in turn more convictions and restitutions for State Fund policyholders,” said Lazernik.
“By giving law enforcement greater insight into what we see, as well as gaining better understanding of what they need from us, it will help both sides to be more productive,” she added.
Several law enforcement personnel in attendance lavished praise on the session afterwards.
"I just wanted to thank you for the informative meeting that was held at the Santa Rosa State Compensation Insurance Fund Office. The information was presented in a way that I could understand it and I left feeling that the time was well spent. I came away from the meeting with more knowledge about the claim process,” said Randy E. Knox, an investigator with the Shasta County DA’s office.
Equally impressed by the seminar was Gene Fahy, an investigator with the Marin County DA’s office. “I would like to thank everyone at State Fund for putting on the workers’ comp fraud training. I was able to meet (in person) other DA inspectors and developed contacts. Everyone did a great job,” said Fahy.
This seminar is part of State Fund’s Fraud outreach program to policyholders, community groups and Law Enforcement. The SIU’s other outreach efforts include a recently launched “Speakers Bureau” program, which provides policyholders with resources for customer service workshops, and training seminars at State Fund regional offices.
