Washington · statute · Wash. Rev. Code ch. 48.135 · 14 active provisions
The purpose of this chapter and sections 14 through 17, chapter 284, Laws of 2006 is to confront the problem of insurance fraud in this state by making a concerted effort to detect insurance fraud, reduce the occurrence of fraud through criminal enforcement and deterrence, require restitution of fraudulently obtained i…
This chapter does not:(1) Preempt the authority or relieve the duty of any other general authority law enforcement agencies to investigate, examine, and prosecute suspected violations of law;(2) Prevent or prohibit a person from voluntarily disclosing any information concerning insurance fraud to any law enforcement ag…
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Insurance fraud" means an act or omission committed by a person who, knowingly, and with intent to defraud, commits, or conceals any material information concerning, one or more of the following:(a) Presenti…
(1) There is established an insurance fraud program within the office of the insurance commissioner. The commissioner may employ supervisory, legal, and investigative personnel for the program, who must be qualified by training and experience in the areas of detection, investigation, or prosecution of fraud in which th…
The annual cost of operating the fraud program is funded from the insurance commissioner's fraud account under RCW 48.02.190 subject to appropriation by the legislature.
(1) The commissioner may:(a) Employ and train personnel to achieve the purposes of this chapter and to employ legal counsel, investigators, auditors, and clerical support personnel and other personnel as the commissioner determines necessary from time to time to accomplish the purposes of this chapter;(b) Initiate inqu…
(1) Any insurer or licensee of the commissioner that has reasonable belief that an act of insurance fraud which is or may be a crime under Washington law has been, is being, or is about to be committed shall furnish and disclose the knowledge and information to the commissioner or the national insurance crime bureau, t…
(1) Documents, materials, or other information as described in subsection (3), (4), or both of this section are exempt from public inspection and copying under chapters *42.17 and 42.56 RCW. The commissioner is authorized to use such documents, materials, or other information in the furtherance of any regulatory or leg…
In a criminal prosecution for any crime under Washington law in which the insurance company is a victim, the insurance company is entitled to be considered as a victim in any restitution ordered by the court under RCW 9.94A.753, as part of the criminal penalty imposed against the defendant convicted for such a violatio…
No later than six months after July 1, 2006, or when the insurer has used all its existing paper application and claim forms which were in its possession on July 1, 2006, whichever is later, all applications for insurance, and all claim forms regardless of the form of transmission provided and required by an insurer or…
The commissioner shall appoint an insurance fraud advisory board. The board shall consist of ten members. Five members shall be representatives from the insurance industry doing business in this state, at least one of which shall be from a Washington domestic insurer, two members shall represent consumers, one member s…
The commissioner shall prepare a periodic report of the activities of the fraud program. The report shall, at a minimum, include information as to the number of cases reported to the commissioner, the number of cases referred for prosecution, the number of convictions obtained, the amount of money recovered, and any re…
The commissioner may adopt rules to implement and administer this chapter.
This act takes effect July 1, 2006.