JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A review by Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General revealed that several employees of the Jacksonville Housing Authority may have received full salaries and benefits while also collecting workers’ compensation payments.
According the OIG, nine JHA employees got their full salaries while also receiving workers’ comp, because of a misclassified payroll code for “workers comp” entries, that caused them to receive their full salary, regardless of their work status. Based on records from the JHA, the inspector general identified overpayments totaling $73,204.51.
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The housing authority was unable to locate documentation showing that any workers’ comp checks were submitted to payroll, as required by the agency’s standard operating procedures. One affected employee reported they weren’t aware of the requirement to submit the checks.
The inspector general’s office reports that JHA promptly notified investigators after discovering the issue, and has taken several actions, including terminating the prior HR team, weekly coordination meetings with the city’s Risk Management department, creating and maintaining workers’ compensation files, strengthening internal controls, and developing training for supervisors.
READ MORE: Inspector General’s report on JHA workers’ compensation payments
JHA is working with the city’s Office of General Counsel to recover overpayments, with more than $10,000 recovered so far.
Investigators found no evidence that the nine employees were submitting inaccurate information on their timecards.
In a response included in the inspector general’s final report, the president & CEO of JHA thanked the OIG for its investigation and recommendations, saying the agency fully agrees with all recommendations and will work diligently to implement, maintain, and adjust the measures that were detailed.