Simply obtaining fair working compensation benefits often seems like a herculean task, but once the benefits begin rolling in, that’s not the end of the story. Receiving workers’ compensation benefits comes with its own set of stipulations that must be abided by to avoid trouble down the road.
Right here at home, it recently came to light that a member of the Virginia Beach Police Department collected a significant sum of overpayments in workers’ compensation benefits, which now be quite an ordeal to sort out. According to reports, the former officer suffered a work-related injury around 2006, causing him to leave the force in 2007, when he began collecting benefits.
This is where it starts to get hairy. The officer returned to his duties several years later in 2013, but, through some bureaucratic mistake, continued to receive workers’ compensation benefits in addition to his reinstated salary. Since it was a mistake on behalf of the issuing party, there is no specific regulation in the Workers’ Compensation Act that requires the recipient to repay funds that were erroneously paid out, but the department can deduct that balance against any further workers’ compensation claims.
It may seem like a situation too good to be true if you are issued workers’ compensation benefits that you are not supposed to be receiving, but this can have unintended consequences because that mistake will have to fall on someone’s shoulders, even if they are not your own. Furthermore, not reporting this can disqualify you from receiving needed benefits in the future. If you have any questions about the best way to go about collecting workers’ compensation benefits, the guidance of an experienced attorney can help ensure that you are protecting your own rights while keeping everything above board.
Source: Virgina Pilot Online, “Virginia Beach police officer collected $165,000 in overpayments, auditor finds,” Alissa Skelton, accessed Oct. 06, 2016