Our Office matched a file of Workers’ Compensation Board (Board) cases approved for benefits as of August 5, 2011 with the Department of Correction and Community Supervision’s (DOCCS) file of inmates under custody as of April 30, 2011. We identified 268 claimants who were incarcerated for felony convictions. Of the 268 claimants, the State Insurance Fund insured 75 claimants. We found that the State Insurance Fund paid $36,061 in wage compensation benefits on behalf of seven claimants incarcerated for felony convictions. The Board reimbursed the Fund $1,024 on behalf of one of these claimants for a portion of the compensation paid. We did not find any cases where the State Insurance Fund paid any medical benefits on behalf of the claimants. Fund managers have begun recovering the $36,061 from the inmates, including $12,674 of this amount that the managers identified before our examination. We recommended the Fund continue efforts to recover the outstanding balance of these inappropriate payments. In addition, the Fund refunded the Board for the amount received on behalf of one of the incarcerated claimants.
For a complete copy of Report 2011-0030 SIF, click here.