Texas Truck Driver Indicted for Workers’ Comp Fraud

The Travis County grand jury indicted Jerry Amaya of Cedar Creek, Texas, on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges, according to Texas Mutual Insurance Company.

Amaya filed a workers’ compensation claim after he injured his head, chest, neck, right shoulder and arm while working as a truck driver. He claimed he was unable to work as a result of the injuries, and Texas Mutual began paying income benefits.

A Texas Mutual investigation uncovered evidence that Amaya was working while he received income benefits. In fact, he was driving a truck for another company.

Investigators call this sort of scam “double-dipping” because the perpetrator, in effect, gets paid twice: once by his new employer for working and again by his previous employer’s insurance company for being too injured to work. If allowed to continue, double-dipping scams can lead to a higher workers’ comp insurance premium for the first employer when the company renews its coverage.

State law requires injured workers to contact their workers’ compensation insurance company when they return to work. To help ensure injured workers understand their responsibilities under the law, Texas Mutual Insurance Company includes a reminder with every income benefit check that the injured worker must contact the adjuster when he or she returns to work. Additionally, Texas Mutual adjusters often contact claimants directly to determine their work status.