JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A review by Jacksonville\u2019s Office of Inspector General revealed that several employees of the Jacksonville Housing Authority may have received full salaries and benefits while also collecting workers\u2019 compensation payments.<\/p>\n
According the OIG, nine JHA employees got their full salaries while also receiving workers\u2019 comp, because of a misclassified payroll code for \u201cworkers comp\u201d 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. <\/p>\n
The housing authority was unable to locate documentation showing that any workers\u2019 comp checks were submitted to payroll, as required by the agency\u2019s standard operating procedures. One affected employee reported they weren\u2019t aware of the requirement to submit the checks.<\/p>\n
The inspector general\u2019s 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\u2019s Risk Management department, creating and maintaining workers\u2019 compensation files, strengthening internal controls, and developing training for supervisors.<\/p>\n