Manager at Ohio Workers’ Comp Bureau Resigns Amid Ethics Concerns

A manager at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation resigned amid concerns his private business benefited from his connections and contacts he made as a state employee.

James Fograscher, a 10-year veteran of the BWC who worked his way up through the ranks and was named interim director of self insured in January, resigned to pursue other opportunities, BWC spokeswoman Maria Smith said.

Fograscher was in a position where he was a decision maker that could impact self-insured employers, Smith said.

"We were concerned he was offering a service on his own time, a service offered by BWC through the safety and hygiene division," Smith said.

Asked if his resignation had anything to do with the ethical concerns that his personal business benefited from his state employment, Fograscher said he was not in a position to comment at this time.

Fograscher's business, Executive Huddle, includes a division called Ergo Huddle, which offers ergonomic services. According to Ergo Huddle's website, its clients include Nationwide Insurance, American Electric Power, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co., and others, that are self-insured employers under the BWC section Fograscher was managing, Smith said.

The BWC referred the situation to the Ohio Ethics Commission. Smith said she didn't know what the impact of Fograscher's resignation will have on the case. Spokeswoman Susan Willeke said under law, the commission is forbidden to discuss referrals.

Fograscher began his career as a college intern at the Industrial Commission, a state agency that managed appeals of workers' compensation claims. No replacement for director of self-insured at the BWC has been named.

(By Diana Rosenberg, senior associate editor, BestWeek)