Automotive Group Earns Second Consecutive Texas Mutual Dividend
April 20, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $211,381 dividend to the Texas Automotive safety group today. The group’s second consecutive workers’ compensation dividend was based largely on its overall loss ratio.
Texas Automotive group members have shared in $389,648 in Texas Mutual dividends during the past two years.
In addition to potential dividends, group members get a discount on their workers’ compensation premium and access to industry-specific workplace safety resources at texasmutual.com.
Any licensed Texas agent can submit qualifying clients for consideration in the Texas Automotive safety group. For more information, visit texasmutual.com/agents/pr_targ.shtm.
Texas Mutual notes that past dividends are not a guarantee of future dividends. The Texas Department of Insurance must approve all dividends.
Texas Mutual Announces Premium Fraud Indictments
April 11, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced today that a Travis County grand jury indicted Robert Crow, Helen Crow and Coy Crow, all of Midland, on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges.
The Crows operated Vanco Insulation, Inc., a Midland-based asbestos abatement business with a wide base of Texas operations.
The indictments allege that the three intentionally misrepresented the payroll of Vanco Insulation, Inc. between April 2, 2003 and October 3, 2006. The scam allowed the company to fraudulently obtain lower premiums from Texas Mutual.
Workers’ compensation insurance premium is based, in part, on payroll. An employer who intentionally underreports payroll is charged a lower premium than it actually owes. By fraudulently concealing or underreporting payroll, an employer gains an unfair advantage over competitors.
Irving Man Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud
April 7, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported today that a Travis County district court sentenced Ronaldo Martins of Irving, Texas on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. The court sentenced Martins to one year of deferred adjudication and ordered him to pay $2,850 in restitution to Texas Mutual.
Martins reported a job-related injury while working as a driver for Texas Plywood and Lumber Company of Grand Prairie, Texas. He claimed he was unable to work as a result of the injury, and Texas Mutual began paying income benefits to him.
Meanwhile, Texas Mutual uncovered evidence that Martins was working as an equipment operator for the city of Irving while receiving income benefits.
Investigators call this type of scam double-dipping because the claimant collects benefits for being too injured to work when he or she is, in fact, gainfully employed. Texas law requires claimants to contact their workers’ comp carrier when they return to work. Left unchecked, double-dipping and other workers’ comp fraud can lead to higher premiums for all Texas employers.
Workers’ Comp Premium Fraud Results in Jail Time for Houston Man
March 28, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported today that a Travis County district court sentenced Gary C. Quintinsky of Houston to a two-year prison term for workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. Upon completion of his state prison term, Quintinsky will serve a 42-month federal prison sentence for tax evasion.
Quintinsky, who operated United Crane, Inc. and multiple related companies, was indicted in March 2009 for his role in concealing payroll and employees from Texas Mutual Insurance Company from August 16, 2001 to October 11, 2004. Because workers’ compensation insurance premium is based, in part, on payroll, this type of scheme results in an employer being charged a lower premium than it actually owes. By hiding payroll, an employer can gain an unfair advantage over competitors.
In 2007, a Travis County jury awarded Texas Mutual more than $5 million in actual damages and $2.5 million in punitive damages in a civil judgment against Quintinsky. This case was the largest premium fraud case in Texas Mutual’s history.
Texas Mutual Pays Combined $329K to Three Safety Groups
March 10, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced today that it has distributed a combined $328,641 in dividends among three Safety Groups. The workers’ compensation dividends are based largely on each group’s overall loss ratio.
The Texas Lodging Group (TLG) earned its first dividend from Texas Mutual: $80,215.
The remaining dividends went to the Texas Schools Group (TSG) and the
Texas Produce Association (TPA), which earned $194,743 and $53,683 respectively.
In addition to potential dividends, group members get a discount on their workers’ compensation premium and access to industry-specific workplace safety resources at texasmutual.com.
Any licensed Texas agent can submit qualifying clients for consideration in TLG, TSG and TPA. For more information, including qualifying class codes, visit texasmutual.com/agents/group.shtm.
Texas Mutual notes that past dividends are not a guarantee of future dividends. The Texas Department of Insurance must approve all dividends.
Texas Mutual Promotes Ward to Senior Vice President of Claims
March 7, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company has promoted Jeanette Ward from vice president of claim and information services to senior vice president of claims. Ward will oversee claim quality and compliance, network and medical operations, and claim operations.
Ward joined Texas Mutual in 1993 after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. She has since climbed the company’s ranks, serving as operations analyst to the chief operating officer; senior manager of corporate planning, budget and accounting; and vice president of claim support services. In that role, she directed system implementation for the company’s certified workers’ compensation health care network. She has also overseen the company’s call center, process and system management, statewide claim offices, claim intake unit and imaging unit.
NFIB, Texas Mutual Partnership Yields Nearly $1M in Dividends
February 2, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced today that two National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) group discount programs earned a combined $908,586 in workers’ compensation dividends. Both dividends were based largely on each group’s overall loss ratio.
The larger dividend - $693,148 – went to the NFIB group discount program for the construction industry. The NFIB construction group has earned $2,911,463 in dividends from Texas Mutual since 2003.
Meanwhile, members of the NFIB group discount program for wholesale/retail businesses shared in a $215,438 dividend, bringing their Texas Mutual dividend total to $1,321,362 during the past five years.
“The Texas economy has fared better than most during the recession, but we have not been immune to market fluctuations,” said Will Newton, executive director of NFIB Texas. “Small businesses have been hit especially hard. These dividends will boost our members’ bottom lines and help them weather the difficult economy.”
Any licensed Texas agent can submit qualifying clients for consideration in the NFIB construction group and NFIB wholesale/retail group, as well as a third group for the manufacturing industry. In addition to potential dividends, NFIB group members get a discount on their workers’ compensation premium and access to industry-specific workplace safety resources at texasmutual.com.
For more information about NFIB/Texas Mutual Safety Groups, visit nfib.com/txmutual.
Past dividends are not a guarantee of future dividends. The Texas Department of Insurance must approve all dividends.
Texas Mutual Named a Top Ten Best Place to Work in Texas for 2011
January 27, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company was named one of the top 10 2011 Best Places to Work in Texas for large employers. The company was honored at the “Best Companies to Work for in Texas” awards ceremony on Jan. 27, as part of the Texas Association of Business’ 2011 Annual Conference in Austin.
The program is a project of TEXAS MONTHLY magazine, the Texas Association of Business, the Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management and Best Companies Group.
The statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Texas, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and business. The top 10 list was selected from among the complete list, made up of 100 companies.
“At Texas Mutual, our employees are what make our business a success,” said Ron Wright, president of Texas Mutual. “Each day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday, there are Texas Mutual employees serving external and internal customers and doing it with an attitude and spirit that strengthens relations throughout the company. The employees’ support of our mission and values helps make this a great place to work, and now others outside the company will also know.”
To be considered for the list, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Have at least 15 employees working in Texas
- Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity
- Be a publicly or privately held business
- Have a facility in the state of Texas
- Have been in business a minimum of one year
Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the “Best Companies to Work for in Texas.” The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices and demographics, which was worth approximately 25 percent of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience—worth approximately 75 percent of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking.
“We are extremely proud to receive this designation, especially because a large part of it is based on employee evaluations,” said Wright.
Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Texas and analyzed the data to determine the final rankings. The rankings will be released in a special advertising section of the February 2011 issue of TEXAS MONTHLY.
Texas Mutual Announces Four Fraud Indictments
January 12, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported today that Travis County grand juries indicted four claimants, in separate cases, on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. The claimants allegedly collected a combined $59,076 in workers’ compensation benefits they were not entitled to.
All four cases involved a scam that investigators call double-dipping.
Double-dipping occurs when a claimant collects benefits for being too injured to work when he or she is, in fact, gainfully employed. Texas law requires claimants to contact their workers’ comp carrier when they return to work.
Left unchecked, double-dipping and other workers’ comp fraud can lead to higher premiums for all Texas employers.
Here are the claimants who were indicted, along with the amount of benefits they allegedly collected illegally: Jason McCaskill of Huntsville, $31,108; Victor Valdez of Mesquite, $21,832; Richard Merriman of Bryan, $3,197; Paula Schoolfield of Arlington, $2,939.
Note: A grand jury indictment is a formal accusation - not a conviction - of criminal conduct.
Growth Fuels Construction Group’s Second Texas Mutual Dividend
January 10, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $179,106 dividend to the Texas Construction Supply (TCS) workers’ compensation Safety Group today. The dividend was based largely on the group’s overall loss ratio.
Last year, TCS members shared in a $10,674 dividend. This year’s increase was due to growth in the group’s membership.
Any licensed Texas agent can submit qualifying clients for consideration in the TCS Safety Group. In addition to potential dividends, group members get a discount on their workers’ compensation premium and access to industry-specific workplace safety resources at texasmutual.com.
For more information about the TCS/Texas Mutual Safety Group, visit texasmutual.com/agents/pr_tcs.shtm or txconstructionwc.com.
Past dividends are not a guarantee of future dividends. The Texas Department of Insurance must approve all dividends.
Recreation Group Doubles Texas Mutual Dividend
January 6, 2011 -Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $200,832 dividend to the Texas Recreation Safety Group (TRPG) today. The group’s second consecutive dividend was based largely on its overall loss ratio.
Last year, TRPG earned a $90,634 dividend from Texas Mutual. By continuing to focus on preventing workplace accidents, TRPG improves its chances of qualifying for future dividends.*
Any licensed Texas agent can submit qualifying clients for TRPG membership. In addition to potential dividends, group members get a discount on their workers’ compensation premium and access to industry-specific workplace safety resources at texasmutual.com.
For more information about TRPG, visit texasmutual.com/agents/pr_trpg.shtm.
*Past dividends are not a guarantee of future dividends. The Texas Department of Insurance must approve all dividends.
TRA Members Get Healthy Serving of Texas Mutual Dividends
January 4, 2011 - Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $2,130,561 dividend to the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) workers’ compensation Safety Group today. The dividend was based largely on the group’s overall loss ratio.
TRA group members have shared in $15,946,191 in Texas Mutual dividends since 1999.*
Any licensed Texas agent can submit qualifying clients for TRA Safety Group membership. In addition to potential dividends, group members get a discount on their workers’ compensation premium and access to industry-specific workplace safety resources at texasmutual.com.
For more information about the TRA/Texas Mutual Safety Group, visit texasmutual.com/agents/pr_tra.shtm.
*Past dividends are not a guarantee of future dividends. The Texas Department of Insurance must approve all dividends.