(This story was updated to add new information.)
A payroll error resulted in Volusia County emergency medical technicians getting more money than they were supposed to, including one employee who was stuck with a bill of over $62,000, the News-Journal has learned.
The error caused “fewer than 30” lead EMTs to be overpaid, according to county spokesman Clayton Jackson.
The county sent notice to affected employees this month, according to letters obtained by the News-Journal.
Volusia County EMT faces $62K debt after county payroll error
One employee received a letter from the county that said he or she owed $62,076.46. The letter, dated Jan. 12, said that an audit found that pay codes were incorrectly applied, dating back to September 2023.
“When you worked on a BLS (Basic Life Support) unit during the hours where the night differential applied, you received double your hourly rate of pay,” the letter says.
The letter says that the county approved a repayment plan for the employee. The county plans to take $238.76 from the employee’s bi-weekly pay for 260 pay periods, starting on Feb. 13.
If the employee leaves before he or she pays the full amount back, the county will take whatever’s left from the final paycheck.
The county says employees are responsible for making sure they’re getting paid right, including reporting errors right away and reimbursing the county for overpayments. That is noted on each pay statement, according to the letter.
“Although it is an employee’s responsibility to reimburse any overpayments, we are aware of the financial burden repayment may cause,” the letter says.
The county also apologized for the mistake.
The county overpaid some employees far less. One employee has to pay back less than $100, for example.
Volusia County is adding preventative measures
The county says it is working with employees to make repayment plans “that are reasonable and structured to avoid undue financial hardship.”
The county is legally required to recover money that it paid in error, Jackson stated in an email to the News-Journal.
“Volusia County is committed to being a good steward of taxpayer funds and to ensuring that employees receive compensation only in amounts to which they are entitled under applicable policies and agreements,” according to Jackson.
Also, “the County will be increasing testing and auditing measures whenever new pay codes related to shift adjustment pay are implemented,” he stated.
Volusia County EMT union is looking into the errors
Union officials representing Volusia County EMTs are involved.
A statement from the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics Local R5-077 in Volusia County says that the group “is working to ensure transparency, accountability and employee protection following recent errors in the County’s payroll system.”
The union is seeking documents and detailed explanations of the errors and how they happened. The union is also seeking information on the legal basis for the county to recover the wages.
“The IAEP has also contacted the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and are awaiting further guidance,” according to the union.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County EMT faces $62K debt after county payroll error
Reporting by Sheldon Gardner, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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