3102 California Work Comp Defrauders: Nowhere to Hide
Printer Friendly Email a Friend PDF RSS Feed

Dynamic Chiropractic – November 30, 2004, Vol. 22, Issue 25

California Work Comp Defrauders: Nowhere to Hide

By Editorial Staff
Workers' compensation fraud costs California an estimated $3 billion per year, but Governor Schwarzenegger is doing something about it. In late August, he signed Assembly Bill 2866 into law. The bill requires that the California Department of Insurance post the names of individuals and companies convicted of workers' comp fraud on the World Wide Web.

The legislation adds section 1871.9 to the Insurance Code, excerpted as follows:

"The department shall post all of the following on its Internet Web site ... if the violation involved workers' compensation insurance, services, or benefits:

  1. The name, case number, county or court, and other identifying information with respect to the case.
  2. The full name of the defendant.
  3. The city and county of the defendant's last known residence or business address.
  4. The date of conviction.
  5. A description of the offense.
  6. The amount of money alleged to have been defrauded.
  7. A description of the punishment imposed, including the length of any sentence of imprisonment and the amount of any fine imposed.

The information required to be posted ... shall be maintained on the department's Web site for a period of five years from the date of conviction or until the department is notified in writing by the person that the conviction has been reversed or expunged."

The legislation takes effect on Jan. 1, 2005.

 



Colorado Chiropractic Association News

Dr. Tom Lankering, DC, was recently elected president of the Colorado Chiropractic Association. Dr. Lankering graduated from Palmer Chiropractic College in 1984, working his way through school by playing piano professionally and as a ski instructor. He also holds a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University, New York.

Dr. Lankering has maintained a practice in Aspen, Colo., for 20 years. He was one of the first chiropractors to establish a practice in Aspen. He has served on various community planning boards in Aspen and has hosted a local television show, "Healthy Lifestyles" for the past nine years.

In other CCA news, the following individuals received awards for their contributions to the profession during the association's 70th annual convention in September:

  • Drs. Richard Gingras and Robert Nelson - 2004 Chiropractor of the Year (in practice in Colorado for 10 or more years);
  • Dr. Tim Murphy - 2004 Rising Star Chiropractor of the Year (in practice in Colorado less than 10 years);
  • Dr. Robert Nelson - 2004 Chiropractic Sports Award;
  • Dr. Rebecca Noren - 2004 Community Service Award;
  • Drs. Hal Lease and Monty Wilburn - 2004 Distinguished Service Award;
  • Karen E. Hammel, CAE, executive director of CCA - 2004 Neal Bishop Service Award;
  • Don Mielke, CCA attorney and lobbyist - 2004 Chiropractic Awareness Award.



Oregon Chiropractor Helps Hurricane Victims

As hurricane after hurricane swept across the southeastern U.S. a few months ago, Dr. Thomas Miller, DC, of Lake Oswego, Ore., decided to do something about it. On Sept. 29, Dr. Miller donated his entire one-day earnings to the Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund.

After watching news coverage about Hurricane Frances, Dr. Miller sent out a letter to 400 clients encouraging them to schedule an appointment. Dr. Miller donated all of the proceeds from the day to the Red Cross. He did not bill clients or their insurance companies, and the participants paid whatever they could afford, making personal checks out to the Red Cross.

This was not Dr. Miller's first act of charity: For the past seven years, he has worked for food donations to the Oregon Food Bank, raising two to three barrels each year.

"I think that everybody needs to do their part," said Dr. Miller. We've all had our ups and downs. I've had my downs, and when I did, people helped me."1

Currently, the Oregon Red Cross is working to raise $150,000 for hurricane relief.

Reference

  1. Chiropractor donates day to help hurricane victims. OregonLive.com, Oct. 7, 2004.

Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email .


To report inappropriate ads, click here.