The Wheelers Hill man, 56, was sentenced in the Ringwood Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 18 November after pleading guilty to a single charge of fraudulently obtaining payments.
He was convicted, placed on a Community Correction Order with a special condition to perform 175 hours of unpaid community work, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $114,262.
The Court heard that the truck driver submitted an injury claim for a lower back injury and began receiving weekly payments in September 2020.
The compensation was terminated on the grounds of fraud in March 2024, after surveillance revealed he had worked as a painter for two separate Melbourne businesses.
An investigation later found that he commenced employment as a painter in May 2021.
Despite his employment, the man submitted medical certificates that declared he was unable to work and had not engaged in any employment while receiving workers compensation.
He also failed to report that he had returned to work during seven independent medical examinations and visits to three occupational rehabilitation providers.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Integrity, Risk and Resilience Alicia Colley said it was always disappointing to see the workers compensation system exploited.
"Making false declarations about the extent of an injury to receive compensation payments is a serious crime, particularly when the fraud is ongoing for several years," Ms Colley said.
"These actions will not be tolerated and we owe it to the injured workers who depend on the compensation scheme every day to ensure that it is not being abused for personal gain."
