Workers Sue Water Department Over Use of Nurses

Thursday, November 21, 2019 | 0

Former workers for the Denver Water Department are accusing the utility provider of fraud in a lawsuit over how it used nurses on comp claims, according to a report by the NBC affiliate in Denver.

Claimants’ attorney Chris Forsyth alleges that the nurses pretend to be working in a treating capacity but are actually working as nurse case managers for Denver Water and its on-site clinic.

“They’re there for the cost-effectiveness of the clinic,” Forsyth told the TV station.

Forsyth wants to reopen one claim, citing a “basis of fraud” for a worker who said he was returned to work without restrictions.

Two other workers are also trying to reopen their claims. One says a nurse reclassified an injury to his lower back as a mid-back condition. Another doesn’t agree with the finding that his injury wasn’t work-related.

The three workers said they are trying to reopen their claims to get proper treatment for injuries they say was denied through the Water Department’s clinic.

The department declined to comment beyond saying that it operates its clinics in a way that complies with Colorado's workers' compensation laws.