Ohio Moves to Require Citizenship Status on Workers' Comp Claims

The Ohio House June 5 approved the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation budget bill (House Bill 80) after voting in favor of an amendment that requires injured workers to declare their legal status.

Deb Kline, director of Cleveland Jobs with Justice, contends that undocumented workers already are some of the most exploited workers, and this provision would deter them from filing claims.

"Many undocumented workers out there end up working overtime and never get paid," she states. "The boss says, 'What are you going to do about it? If you file a claim, I'll call ICE. I'll turn you in.' "A lot of the workforce out there are working in the shadows because they're afraid that the employer will call ICE. It just sets up a really bad system."

Under the proposed law, workers who file false information would be ineligible for benefits and subject to prosecution for workers' compensation fraud.

Read more: https://www.citybeat.com/news/blog/21072075/ohio-moves-to-require-citizenship-status-on-workers-comp-claims