Ohio Man Ordered to Repay $60K in Workers’ Comp Death Benefits

An Ohio man was ordered to repay nearly $60,000 in workers’ compensation death benefits.

Adam Osterman pleaded guilty Feb. 13 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to one count of workers’ compensation fraud, a fifth-degree felony.

“As the son of a worker killed on the job, Mr. Osterman was eligible to receive death benefits up to age 25, if he enrolled at an accredited educational institution,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer. “Our investigators found that he submitted proof of enrollment at a community college in Dayton, but didn’t attend classes or dropped the classes afterward. Thanks to the hard work of our Special Investigations Department, the money Mr. Osterman improperly received will be returned to the BWC.”

Investigators opened a case after receiving an allegation that Osterman bragged about enrolling in classes and dropping them to receive BWC death benefits. They found that from 2010 to 2012, Osterman submitted documentation that he enrolled in community college classes, but either didn’t attend or dropped those classes after submitting documentation to the BWC.

Osterman was placed on community control for five years. Conditions of his community control include repaying $59,213.83 in restitution to the BWC, obtaining and maintaining employment, and paying court costs. Osterman will serve eight months in prison if these terms are violated.

Source: Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation