A recent Associated Press report concludes that as many as one in five Louisiana businesses may be breaking the Workers Compensation law. The report is based upon a new fraud detection program recently announced by the Louisiana Workforce Commission and the Louisiana Attorney General's Office.
"A big part of our goal is to attract and retain businesses," said Tim Barfield, executive director of the commission. "We want to make sure we have an environment that's conducive to business and that there's a level playing field for all of our businesses. Right now, there's a number of companies who aren't playing by the rules."
Chris Broadwater, head of the commission's Office of Workers Compensation Administration, said violators will face penalties of $250 per employee, per incident. Repeat offenders could face criminal penalties and have the businesses shut down.
Broadwater said a spot check of 20 companies, using auditor and hotline tips, found seven of the 10 which responded out of compliance. The other 10 didn't respond, he said.
Read the rest of the article in the New Orleans Times Picyune.
