HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection employee on administrative leave for pending criminal charges was paid $114,983 — $109,239 more than allowed, according to an audit released Wednesday.
The Connecticut Auditors of Public Accounts states that the employee should not have received the funds over the course of 19 months because it was over the legal threshold of 30 days.
The criminal charges were not listed in the report.
“The Department acknowledges the importance of complying with state agency regulations regarding paid administrative leave,” DEEP said in a response included with the report. “In the first instance mentioned, the employee was placed on administrative leave pending criminal charges. This happened during the COVID19 pandemic when courts were hearing cases at an extraordinarily slow rate. This led to the employee remaining on leave for an extended period as management felt it inappropriate and possibly unsafe to allow the employee to return to work pending charges. Ultimately the charges were nulled, and the employee returned to work.”
Insurance denies Connecticut flood victims’ claims DEEP also placed an employee on paid administrative leave for 11 days without having the supporting documentation to do so, according to the audit. In that case, DEEP said in the report that the employee resigned after making “derogatory comments.” He was placed on leave afterward with pay until his last day.
In response, the audit recommends that the department “should comply with requirements concerning employees placed on paid leave.”
In a comment Wednesday to News 8, DEEP said that “Workplace investigations bring the possibility of employee discipline. Administrative leave is a tool that agencies use in consultation with the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) to ensure the conduct of investigations and regular operations can occur appropriately while investigations are underway. Each case is unique, and investigations must be thorough and fair to ensure due process. Every case needs this element to be successful. “
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