HR Management & Compliance

YouTube Video Responsible for Beauty

One would think that if you’re planning to game the system, you should plan on keeping a low profile. But that’s simply not how one California beauty queen decided to play it—and she’s not smiling quite so broadly these days.

Shawna Lynn Palmer of Riverside, a contestant in the 2014 Miss Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix beauty pageant, was captured on video wearing high heels and walking around on stage … but wait, there’s nothing abnormal about that, right?

Wrong! The beauty queen had filed for workers’ compensation after she fractured her toe at work. At multiple doctor visits, she had said that she could not place any weight on her foot, move it in any direction, or wear a shoe for any length of time.

In response to these complaints, the doctor provided an orthopedic shoe and crutches. The doctor also gave her orders to refrain from working and to elevate her foot whenever possible.

While she was collecting workers’ comp benefits, she had participated in two beauty pageants, one in which a YouTube video surfaced of her wearing heels and walking with no visible discomfort. Shortly after the video surfaced, she was busted for workers’ comp fraud.

If she is convicted, she could face up to 1 year in county jail and 3 years of probation, and she could have to pay $24,000 in fines. Not quite the type of spotlight she was hoping for, we can assume.

All Your California Workers’ Comp Questions Answered

Dealing with workers’ comp questions can be stressful and time-consuming for HR. What can make it easier? Our exclusive HR Management & Compliance Report Workers’ Compensation in California: A Complete Guide for California Employers.

Workers’ comp is one of the few areas of employment law that’s almost entirely governed at the state level. And it’s complicated, to say the least:

  • What qualifies as a covered injury or illness?
  • Should you self-insure?
  • Who’s entitled to workers’ comp benefits?
  • What do you need to know about the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF)?
  • How are premiums calculated—and how can you keep yours as low as possible?
  • What should be included in your Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP)?
  • Which workers’ comp notices must you distribute to employees—and when?
  • How do you properly calculate benefits for injured employees?
  • What should your return-to-work program look like?
  • How does workers’ comp interact with other state and federal leave laws, including FMLA/CFRA and ADA/FEHA?
  • What can you do to reduce the risk of workers’ comp disputes—and fraud?
  • How should you respond to a workers’ comp-related lawsuit?

Fortunately, answers to all of these questions and more are covered in depth in our comprehensive, 138-page HR Management & Compliance Report Workers’ Compensation in California: A Complete Guide for California Employers.

This exclusive report includes everything you need to know for successful management of your company’s workers’ comp program and has been fully updated for 2015.

New in this edition:

  • The new, reduced fees for independent medical reviews (IMRs)
  • Annual rate increases for temporary disability benefits
  • Revised versions of information that must be provided to newly hired employees
  • Tips to help employers reduce fraud for billed services
  • New laws that affect the ability of professional athletes to file workers’ comp claims in California
  • And more!

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