Lisbon man sentenced for lapsed workers’ comp coverage Print E-mail
Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) announced a Lisbon man has been sentenced for a misdemeanor charge of workers’ compensation fraud.

Kenneth Miller, owner of JIT Pallets, Inc., was sentenced to two years probation, 80 hours community service to satisfy a $400 fine, investigative costs in the amount of $598.48 and restitution in the amount of $47,698.97 to BWC.

“Employers without workers’ compensation coverage are not only breaking the law, but also driving up rates for everyone else,” said James Conrad, BWC Administrator and CEO. “Our goal is to find those employers who ignore their responsibility to pay workers’ compensation premiums so that we can reduce workers’ compensation costs for all Ohio businesses.”

BWC’s special investigations unit (SIU) learned of possible fraud by Miller when a former partner claimed that he was operating without workers’ comp coverage. The investigation confirmed Miller was in fact non-compliant and had operated JIT Pallets, Inc. since September1999 without proper workers’ compensation insurance.

BWC’s SIU specializes in identifying and investigating workers’ compensation fraud. Since its establishment in 1993, the department has saved the agency over $820 million. In 2004, the department saved the agency approximately $126 million, the highest amount yet recorded.

For every dollar spent on special investigations, BWC’s SIU identifies more than $11 in savings. The average take in a fraudulent workers’ compensation case is $34,000.

To report workers’ compensation fraud, call 1-800-OHIOBWC or contact your local BWC customer service office and ask for the fraud department. You also can submit an allegation on BWC’s Web site at ohiobwc.com.

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Media contact: Jeremy Jackson, BWC, (614) 752-7558 or Emily Hicks, (614)728-6197.