Widow conceals remarriage to continue collecting death benefits

Court orders repayment of more than $40,000 to BWC

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007

A Pennsylvania woman who concealed her remarriage to continue to collect death benefits as a surviving spouse was convicted of workers’ compensation fraud, a fourth-degree felony, in Franklin County Common Please Court. The court ordered Joyce Jukiewicz of Saegertown, Pa., to repay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) $40,569.

The court placed Jukiewicz on five years of community control. If she violates the terms and conditions of her community control, the court will sentence her to 18 months in prison. The court transferred her case to Pennsylvania, where she now lives.

“Workers’ compensation fraud is a serious crime,” said Administrator/CEO Bill Mabe. “The penalties are severe for those who are caught abusing the system. BWC pursues such cases in order to ensure that injured workers get the help they need.”

Jukiewicz was collecting death benefits in her deceased husband's claim. She remarried Sept. 17, 1996, but never notified BWC. She would have been entitled to a two-year dowry after the date she remarried. She continued to collect the death benefits in her deceased husband's claim, by concealing her remarriage.

A BWC claims service specialist alerted the bureau’s special investigations department to the case in 2003 after receiving a call stating that Jukiewicz was remarried.

BWC closed the case in 2006. Jukiewicz was tried in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The special investigations department has received, researched and processed 2,452 new fraud allegations since July 1, 2006. So far this fiscal year, the department has identified more than $40 million in savings.

To report workers’ compensation fraud, call 1-800-OHIOBWC, or call your local BWC customer service office and ask for the fraud unit. You can also submit an allegation on BWC’s Web site at ohiobwc.com.

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Media Contact: Nancy Smeltzer, (614) 752-7558