An employee was collecting workers’ comp benefits because he was restricted from lifting more than 10 pounds … unless the weight was attached to a bar at a gym, then he could lift 500 lbs.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation received a tip that Jason Dross was lifting heavy weights at the YMCA in Celina, Ohio. The BWC’s Special Investigation Department took a look.
Sure enough, agents were able to videotape Dross bench pressing more than 500 pounds consistently over a period of a month.
The investigation led Dross to plead guilty to one felony count of workers’ compensation fraud. He was sentenced last week to nine months in jail, suspended for three years of community control under the conditions that he maintain employment and pay restitution of $31,736.
Wage loss benefits are available to injured workers who are unable to find a job within their doctor-ordered physical restrictions. A worker must demonstrate a good faith effort to get a job before becoming eligible for these benefits.
