CASE OVERVIEW
What our client brought us was a workers compensation claim, a set of reported physical limitations, and a need to know whether the subject’s documented daily life matched what he said he could not do.
Workers compensation fraud investigations begin with a gap: the gap between what a claimant says they cannot do and what a professional investigator observes them doing in the course of an ordinary day. The client who retains Terrance Private Investigator and Associates for this kind of case is not asking us to prove fraud; they are asking us to document the truth, whatever that truth turns out to be, so that the evaluation of the claim can be made from a position of observed fact rather than accepted representation.
In this San Antonio case, our client needed documented surveillance of a workers compensation claimant whose reported physical limitations were being evaluated as part of an active claim. The subject had filed a claim representing specific physical limitations. Our client needed objective documentation of the subject’s actual observable physical activity across a defined surveillance window, organized in a format suitable for use by insurance adjusters, defense counsel, and medical professionals reviewing the claim.
Our investigators conducted four active surveillance days across September 3, 4, 6, and 7, 2026, at the subject’s San Antonio residence and observed locations in the surrounding area. The most significant findings came from September 3, when the subject was documented walking independently, operating a full-size truck, carrying multiple items between vehicles and residences, and making a trip to a secondary address carrying what appeared to be a bag of tools, all without the use of a cane, walker, crutches, brace, or any other visible assistive device, and without any readily observable difficulty with ambulation.
Client name and identifying details have been changed. All parties are fully anonymized, and this case study is published with permission.
THE CHALLENGE
Workers compensation surveillance requires documentation that is specific enough to be useful and honest enough to withstand professional scrutiny.
Workers compensation fraud investigations carry a specific documentary standard that separates them from most other surveillance case types. The findings will be reviewed not just by an attorney but by insurance adjusters and potentially by medical professionals whose job is to evaluate whether what was observed is consistent or inconsistent with the reported injury. A surveillance report that overstates its findings, that implies medical conclusions the investigators are not qualified to draw, or that fails to document days that produced no observable activity is a less credible document than one that reports every day and every finding with equal precision.
Our investigators approach workers compensation surveillance with that standard in mind. The objective is not to catch anyone in anything. The objective is to produce a timestamped, objectively documented record of the subject’s observable physical activities across the surveillance window, so that the professionals evaluating the claim have something real to work with rather than a representation they cannot independently verify.
In this case, the specific documentation challenge was establishing what the subject could demonstrably do without assistance across multiple observable activities: vehicle operation, ambulation, item carrying, and travel to secondary locations. Each category of activity was documented separately, and the absence of an assistive device during each observed activity was noted specifically, because the presence or absence of assistive devices is a directly relevant data point in the evaluation of a physical limitation claim.
THE INVESTIGATION
September 3 produced four hours of documented physical activity. September 4 produced no observable activity, and September 6 and 7 confirmed what September 3 had already established.
The investigation ran across four surveillance dates in San Antonio. Here is what each day produced.
September 3: the subject drives, walks, carries, and visits a second address with what appears to be tools
Our investigator arrived at the subject’s residence on the morning of September 3 and established surveillance. The subject’s registered vehicle was observed parked at the property. At approximately 12:27 PM, the subject arrived at the residence operating a black full-size pickup truck. An unidentified adult female occupied the front passenger seat. Both exited the vehicle: the female from the passenger side, the subject from the driver’s side.
The subject was observed walking from the vehicle to the residence carrying a bag and a cup. He entered the residence through the front door. Shortly after, the subject exited the residence, returned to the truck, retrieved an additional item from the rear seating area, and carried it back into the residence. During all of these observations, the subject displayed no readily observable physical limitations. He walked independently without assistance, carried multiple items across multiple trips, and made no observable use of a cane, walker, crutches, brace, or any other visible assistive device. No difficulty with ambulation was observed at any point during these activities.
At approximately 1:31 PM, the subject departed the residence operating the full-size truck. He arrived approximately sixteen minutes later at a second residential address. He exited the truck, retrieved an item from the rear driver-side area that appeared to be a bag possibly containing tools, carried that item to the second residence, and entered. He departed approximately seventeen minutes later. He returned to his own residence at approximately 2:28 PM and remained there for the rest of the surveillance day.
The September 3 observations were the most significant of the four-day surveillance window. The subject was documented performing multiple categories of independent physical activity across a four-hour period: driving a full-size truck, walking without assistance, carrying items across multiple trips, and traveling to a second location carrying what appeared to be a tool bag. None of these activities involved the use of an assistive device, and none produced any observable sign of the physical limitations represented in the claim.
September 4: a full day of surveillance and no observable activity
The investigator arrived at the subject’s residence on September 4 and established surveillance. No observable movement or activity involving the subject was documented across the entire surveillance day. The investigation report documented this honestly: a day of surveillance that produces no observable activity is reported as such, because a complete and accurate record of every surveillance day is what gives the full report its credibility.
September 6 and 7: vehicle operation confirmed and the subject travels with his wife
Surveillance resumed on September 6. The subject was not observed leaving the residence until approximately 3:05 PM, when he was observed returning to the property operating his registered vehicle and pulling it into the garage. No additional activity was observed, and surveillance was discontinued that evening.
September 7 produced the final documented activity of the investigation. At approximately 2:23 PM, the subject departed the residence operating his registered vehicle, with his wife observed in the front passenger seat. The two traveled to a nearby fast food location, where the subject remained parked while engaging in an approximately ten-minute conversation through the driver’s-side window with an unidentified male who appeared to be a construction worker from a neighboring job site. The subject then departed, returned to the residence, drove into the garage, and the garage door closed behind the vehicle. No additional activity was observed, and surveillance concluded.
The September 6 and 7 observations confirmed that the subject continued to operate vehicles independently during the surveillance window and provided additional documented instances of independent vehicle operation to accompany the September 3 findings.
What the four-day investigation produced
Everything below was documented across the surveillance period and appears in the report delivered to the client with supporting evidence, photographs, and video.
- Independent vehicle operation documented across multiple days. The subject was observed independently operating motor vehicles on September 3, 6, and 7, including a full-size pickup truck on September 3 and his registered vehicle on September 6 and 7.
- Independent ambulation documented without assistive device. On September 3, the subject was observed walking independently between his vehicle and residences on multiple occasions without the use of a cane, walker, crutches, brace, or other visible assistive device. No readily observable difficulty with ambulation was documented.
- Multiple items carried across multiple trips. The subject was observed carrying a bag and a cup from his vehicle to his residence, retrieving and carrying an additional item from the rear seating area of the truck, and carrying what appeared to be a bag of tools to a second residential address, all on September 3 and all without observable difficulty.
- Travel to a secondary address documented. On September 3, the subject departed his residence, traveled to a second residential address in San Antonio, carried an item to the door of that residence, entered, remained approximately seventeen minutes, and departed.
- No assistive device observed across any surveillance day. Across all four surveillance days and every observed instance of physical activity, no cane, walker, crutches, brace, or other visible assistive device was observed in the subject’s possession or use.
- September 4 produced no observable activity. A full day of surveillance on September 4 produced no observable movement or physical activity involving the subject. This finding was documented in the report alongside the active surveillance days.
- Complete photographic and video evidence delivered. The investigation produced a substantial evidence package including photographs and video footage uploaded across the surveillance period, delivered to the client alongside the written surveillance report.
HOW THE EVIDENCE HELPED
What our client, their adjuster, and their defense counsel could accomplish with a timestamped documented record of the subject’s observable physical capabilities.
A workers compensation claim is evaluated against the limitations the claimant has reported. When those reported limitations are inconsistent with the claimant’s observed behavior, the documented surveillance record becomes a central piece of evidence in the claim evaluation process. Our client received a report that provided objective, timestamped documentation of the subject’s observable physical capabilities across four surveillance days, with the September 3 observations producing the most significant evidentiary material.
The report was organized for use by multiple professional audiences simultaneously. Insurance adjusters reviewing the claim received a timestamped chronological account of every observed activity, with photographic and video evidence attached. Defense counsel received a surveillance record organized in a format suitable for use in workers compensation proceedings. Medical professionals evaluating the claim received objective behavioral observations, documented without medical interpretation, that they could place alongside clinical findings in their own professional assessment.
Our report made no medical determination regarding the existence, severity, or cause of any claimed injury. It documented what our investigators observed and organized those observations with the precision and honesty that makes a surveillance record useful in a legal or claims proceeding. A report that overstates what it observed is a report that opposing counsel can attack. A report that documents exactly what was seen, including the day that produced no activity, is a report that holds up.
THE RESULTS
The subject walked independently, drove a full-size truck, carried multiple items, and visited a second address with what appeared to be tools. The documented record placed those facts in front of the professionals evaluating his claim.
The four-day investigation produced a complete, timestamped surveillance record that documented the subject’s observable physical capabilities across the investigative period. September 3 produced the most significant findings: independent vehicle operation, independent ambulation without an assistive device, carrying of multiple items across multiple trips, and a visit to a secondary address with what appeared to be a bag of tools. September 4 produced no observable activity and was documented as such. September 6 and 7 produced additional documented instances of independent vehicle operation.
The client received the complete surveillance report and full evidence package. Their adjuster, defense counsel, and any medical professionals reviewing the claim received a professionally organized document that gave the claim evaluation process an objective factual foundation. Whatever determination the relevant professionals ultimately made about the claim, they made it with the benefit of a complete documented record of what the subject was actually capable of doing during the surveillance window.
Why Choose Us
Seventeen years of documented casework. Founded in 2009, with more than eight hundred cases closed across Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Miami, and Atlanta.
Workers compensation surveillance built for professional review. Our reports are organized for simultaneous use by insurance adjusters, defense attorneys, and medical professionals. The format, the level of detail, and the honest documentation of both active and inactive surveillance days are all calibrated for the specific audience that workers compensation findings reach.
No medical conclusions, no overstatement. We document what we observe and nothing more. Our investigators note the presence or absence of assistive devices, the nature and duration of physical activities, and any other directly observable data points relevant to the evaluation. The interpretation of those findings belongs to the medical and legal professionals who receive the report.
Complete evidence packages including photographs and video. The written surveillance report is supported by a full photographic and video evidence package, organized by date and timestamped, suitable for use in proceedings and professional reviews.
Statewide Texas coverage. We serve clients across Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and the surrounding areas, with investigators experienced in the specific operational and legal environment of Texas workers compensation surveillance.
Licensed and accountable. Texas DPS License A30913601, with investigators operating across six metro markets.
Ready to know what the documented record actually shows?
If you have a workers compensation claim that requires professional surveillance documentation, or if you need objective evidence of a claimant’s observable physical capabilities for use in a claim evaluation or legal proceeding, our investigators are ready to work. A confidential consultation costs you nothing and will tell you whether a professional investigation makes sense for your situation.
Call (832) 404-3400 or submit your case below. Everything you tell us stays between us.
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Resources
Internal Resources
- Surveillance Investigations — How our surveillance operations are planned, executed, and documented for insurance and legal contexts.
piterrance.com/services/surveillance-investigations/ - Corporate Investigations — How we approach insurance fraud, workers compensation, and related business integrity investigations.
piterrance.com/services/corporate-investigations/ - Background Checks — How we verify the background and history of individuals connected to a fraud or claims investigation.
piterrance.com/services/background-checks/ - Who We Serve: Businesses — Information for insurance carriers, employers, and business owners navigating workers compensation and insurance fraud investigations.
piterrance.com/who-we-serve/businesses/ - Who We Serve: Lawyers — How we work with defense counsel and insurance litigation attorneys to produce surveillance findings structured for claims proceedings.
piterrance.com/who-we-serve/lawyers/ - Start Your Case — Submit your case through our secure intake form.
piterrance.com/new-case-request/
External Resources
- Texas Department of Insurance — Workers Compensation Division — Resources on the Texas workers compensation system, claim evaluation processes, and the legal framework governing workers compensation in Texas.
https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/ - Texas Division of Workers Compensation — The state agency responsible for overseeing workers compensation claims, dispute resolution, and fraud reporting in Texas.
https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/employer/index.html - State Bar of Texas — Find a Lawyer — Search for licensed Texas attorneys specializing in workers compensation defense, insurance litigation, and claims fraud proceedings.
https://www.texasbar.com - Insurance Information Institute — Workers Compensation Fraud — Resources on the scope and cost of workers compensation fraud nationally, and the role of professional investigation in claims evaluation.
https://www.iii.org/article/background-on-workers-compensation - Texas Mutual Insurance Company — Fraud Resources — Resources for Texas employers and carriers on identifying, documenting, and reporting workers compensation fraud.
https://www.texasmutual.com/safety-resources/workers-compensation-fraud
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a workers compensation fraud investigation in Texas?
A workers compensation fraud investigation in Texas is a professional surveillance operation in which our investigators document the actual physical capabilities and daily activities of an individual who has filed a workers compensation claim, producing a timestamped record of observable activity that can be used to evaluate the consistency between the claimant’s reported limitations and their documented behavior. Our investigators make no medical determinations; we document what we observe and deliver the complete record to the client and their counsel.
What specific activities can a workers comp surveillance investigation document?
Our investigators document any observable physical activity performed by the subject during the surveillance window: vehicle operation, walking and ambulation, carrying and lifting items, entering and exiting vehicles, visiting secondary locations, and any other physical activity inconsistent with the limitations represented in the claim. Every observation is timestamped and logged with specific detail about the nature, duration, and context of each activity.
Is workers compensation surveillance legal in Texas?
Yes. In Texas, surveillance of individuals in public locations or areas visible from public vantage points is legally permissible. Workers compensation surveillance is a well-established investigative practice in Texas and is routinely used by insurance carriers, employers, and their legal counsel to evaluate the validity of injury claims. All surveillance conducted by our investigators is performed within the bounds of Texas law.
How is the surveillance report used in a workers compensation proceeding?
Our surveillance report documents the subject’s observable physical activities in a timestamped, professionally organized format suitable for use by insurance adjusters, defense attorneys, and medical professionals evaluating the claim. The report does not constitute a medical opinion regarding the existence or severity of any claimed injury; it provides objective documentation of observed behavior that the receiving parties use in their own professional evaluations.
What if the subject shows no activity during surveillance?
An investigation day that produces no observable activity is documented honestly in the report. In this case, September 4 produced no observable physical activity involving the subject. That finding was included in the delivered report alongside the September 3 observations that produced the clearest documentation of the subject’s physical capabilities. A complete and honest record of all surveillance days, including the ones that produce no activity, is what gives the full report its credibility.
How do I start a workers compensation fraud investigation with Terrance PI?
Call or text our team at (832) 404-3400, email getanswers@piterrance.com, or submit your case at piterrance.com/new-case-request/. We respond quickly and handle every inquiry with complete discretion. Workers compensation investigations require confidentiality at every stage, and that standard applies from the first conversation.
