Report I2021-1 Recommendation 26 Responses
Report I2021-1: Investigations of Improper Activities by State Agencies and Employees (Release Date: May 2021)
Case Number I2019-0645
Recommendation #26 To: Social Services, Department of
To remedy the effects of the improper governmental activities this investigation identified and to prevent those activities from recurring, Social Services should determine the extent of underreported leave during the past three years by conducting a survey of all salaried employees who work nonstandard schedules and reduce leave balances accordingly or recover any overpayments as state law requires.
Agency Response From October 2023
Social Services reported in October 2023 that it completed its review for the remaining seven employees in January 2023. Human Resources met with employees, their managers, and union representatives to discuss the findings and received revised timesheets and reduced leave balances accordingly.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Fully Implemented
Agency Response From November 2022
Social Services reported in November 2022 that after meeting with employees, their direct supervisors, and union representatives, Social Services determined that 18 of the 50 affected employees were not working an alternate schedule, and 25 of the remaining 32 employees have submitted revised timesheets and have had their leave balances reduced. Social Services anticipates fully implementing this recommendation in January 2023.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From August 2022
Social Services reported that it has completed adjusting leave records for five of the 50 affected employees, is awaiting corrected timesheets for 34 employees, and will need to review timesheets for nine employees because of new information. Employees were given until August 1, 2022, to submit corrected timesheets. The remaining two employees are on extended leave of absence. Social Services notes that this information is fluid and subject to change as the agency receives new information. Finally, Social Services noted that Government Code section 19838(d) limits its ability to recover all the hours owed to the State. Thus, while it has identified hours owed to the State, Social Services is unable to recover a portion of those hours.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From March 2022
Social Services reported that it identified more than 2,000 hours of underreported leave from 2018 through 2021. It has already started the process of adjusting leave balances for the affected employees.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From December 2021
Social Services reported in December 2021 that it identified more than 50 affected employees and is working on contacting them to discuss and correct the time reporting issues.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From August 2021
Social Services stated that it is still reviewing the timesheets and that a meeting is scheduled during the first full week in September 2021 to discuss the next steps.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From June 2021
Social Services stated that its audit identified, throughout the department, 50 staff members in work week groups E and SE who work non-standard schedules. Social Services is reviewing three years of timesheets (which equals 1,800 timesheets), as we requested, for these employees to verify whether they are actually working non-standard schedules and, if so, whether they are charging the appropriate hours.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From April 2021
Social Services stated it is conducting an audit of work week group E employees to determine if any are working non-standard schedules.