Welcome back from your Independence Day Holiday! For some of us, it was a day of continued labor and work, honoring the tireless efforts of the founders of the nation. For others, it was a day filled with middle-of-the-week revelry, lighting BBQs (hopefully you’re using charcoal!), grilling burgers, and celebrating the country’s independence by blowing up a small piece of it with fireworks.
However you spent your 4th, your 5th awaits you eagerly with work to do and a blog post to read!
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones recently announced the grant of $600,000 to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office to fight workers’ compensation fraud. The DA’s office is no doubt happy to have the extra funds. As your average level-one deputy DA makes between $56-$77,000 per year, this money could be spent to keep a few deputy DAs and investigators focusing on nothing but insurance fraud investigations and prosecutions for over a year.
However, and I believe I’ve made this point before, the press release should have read more along the lines that California’s employers have provided funds for the Monterey County District Attorney’s office. Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, despite his diligence in discharging the duties of his office, did not write a personal check to Dean D. Flippo, Esq. and say “good hunting!” He collected money from California’s employers and insurers (on top of their tax payments shared by all Californians) to fund this grant.
California’s employers and insurers are right in feeling under-appreciated. Their needs go unnoticed in Sacramento, and their efforts go unrewarded in the press. Unless we want to send a message that the last business in California should turn off the lights on its way out, a bit more respect and appreciation should be shown to the steam behind the California machine. We could start by acknowledging, once in a while, where the government gets these golden eggs it is so happy to hand out.
Well, your humble blogger wishes Mr. Flippo’s office the best of luck in bringing workers’ compensation fraudsters to justice. He only hopes that Commissioner Jones will give credit to where it is due in the future!