The head of Illinois workers compensation commission is seeking an investigation of close to $10 million paid out in claims to more than half the staff of a southwestern Illinois prison over the past three years.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the figures involve claims paid by state taxpayers to 389 guards and other workers at the maximum-security Menard Correctional Center in Chester, approximately 60 miles southeast of St. Louis. (WCxKit)
More than 500 claims filed in the last three years include one involving a $75,678 payment in June to the prisons warden, Dave Rednour. Some 290 cases are pending.
Mitch Weisz, chairman of Illinois WCC, said he has requested a meeting with Illinois Department of Insurance Director Michael McRaith to discuss a potential fraud probe.
"I'm surprised that with all the different agencies that are involved, that it's taken you guys to bring this to my attention. My eyes are wide open," Weisz told the newspaper. "Its hard for me to imagine its all kosher."
More than 230 prison workers claim that their injuries were caused by repetitive actions such as manually locking and unlocking cells. The prison, which opened in 1878, doesnt have electric locks, meaning workers are required to use keys and crank a heavy wheel to open a row of cells. The Department of Corrections said installing electronic locks would be too expensive.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigans office is re-evaluating all such repetitive-trauma cases to review their validity and appropriateness for compensation, especially those from Menard and other prison sites, according to Madigan spokeswoman Cara Smith, a deputy attorney general.
Smith also said reviews of work conditions at Menard and other prisons were planned to determine if such injuries could be avoided. She said fighting the repetitive-trauma cases could be an "uphill battle."
Claims settlement records from the commission indicate that 86 of 98 claims for repetitive trauma filed in 2009 for Menard workers were brought by Illinois attorney Thomas Richs office and were handled by the same lawyer from Madigans office, as well as the same state arbitrator or judge.
Data going back to January 2008 indicates $5.9 million was awarded in settled claims in which a prison employee, typically a guard, reported injury due to repetitive trauma due to working manual locking systems and keys, among other things. (WCxKit)
An additional $2.2 million was dispensed due to accidents and overextension-related injuries, while $1.6 million was paid to workers recuperating from injury, according to the newspaper.
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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
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