California’s Department of Insurance is issuing over $3 million in grants to the state’s District Attorneys in an effort to battle the spread of fraudulent disability and health claims. The state has been wracked with fraud for several years, a fact that Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has labored to rectify. According to Jones, the grants will be used to fun investigations and prosecutions as the state government looks to crack down on insurance fraud. Jones hopes that the move will also dissuade individuals from committing fraud, knowing that District Attorneys now have access to more resources than before.
The grants are funded by a 10 cent fee levied on individual and group insurance policies sold in the state. District Attorneys will be given expanded access to the Disability & Health program as well as the Life and Annuity Consumer Protection Program, both of which provide funding for the prosecution and investigation of insurance fraud. The latter program also provides the support for those that have been the subject of fraud, supplying them with money and educational resources to ensure they are not victimized again.
Commissioner Jones says that insurance fraud in the state has been on the rise. So much so that District Attorneys have been unable to keep up with the rash of fraudulent claims coming in from all over the state. The money will help in the effort to fight fraud and will help protect consumers from fraudulent practices.