The state of California has granted a large sum to their counties to fight workers’ compensation insurance fraud. The state’s Insurance Commissioner, Dave Jones, distributed the funds to 37 different district attorneys who represent the state’s 42 counties. The grants came from employer fees and the goal is that the money will help law enforcement in identifying and prosecuting fraud in the coming year.

The grants totaled $34.95 million. Los Angeles County received the largest portion of the funds. Each county’s district attorney had to submit an application and awards were based on their past performance, their problem statement and their anticipated strategy for the year.

Remember that the workers’ compensation fraud problem is not all about workers who pretend to slip and fall when no one is looking. There are big problems with things like insurer fraud, employer fraud (for example- misclassification or lacking insurance), premium fraud and provider fraud. Perhaps these grants will go a long way in keeping everyone honest and discouraging people from thinking about committing fraud.