New Zealand Woman Convicted in Compensation Scam

A New Zealand woman, Vanessa Kennedy was convicted and ordered to repay more than $65,000 for ACC fraud after pleading guilty to obtaining weekly compensation payments by deception under the Crimes Act in district court.

In 2009, Mrs. Kennedy acting on behalf of her husband, Grant Kennedy, advised ACC he was unable to work due to a back injury sustained doing landscaping. She indicated Mr. Kennedy’s annual income was around $75,000 and requested weekly compensation. (WCxKit)

However, ACC’s investigation unit discovered Mr. Kennedy was not earning anything and Mrs. Kennedy had provided false documents to support her claim.

Mrs. Kennedy was ordered to repay ACC $65,931.80, given 150 hours community service, and put on a six month community detention curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. (WCxKit)

ACC General Manager Claims Management Denise Cosgrove welcomed the successful prosecution saying, "This case is a reminder that ACC takes fraud seriously. People who defraud ACC are stealing money from all New Zealanders and diverting funds that would otherwise be used to help injured people who really need ACC’s support .

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.

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MODIFIED DUTY CALCULATOR: http://www.LowerWC.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php

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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.