State says DOT worker padded her overtime

      OLYMPIA – The state Department of Transportation said Tuesday that a former employee had paid herself more than $67,000 in unearned overtime pay by adding falsified extra work hours into the agency’s payroll system.

     The agency said the employee, who resigned after the unearned pay was discovered, admitted she had padded her time for two years.

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     Department spokesman Lloyd Brown said the agency will try to recover the money. The case has been referred to the State Patrol and Pierce County prosecutors to investigate possible criminal charges.

     The agency’s chief of staff, Steve Reinmuth, said the agency had taken steps to make sure the abuse does not recur. “We work hard to be highly accountable in our use of taxpayers’ dollars.

“We are disappointed in our employee’s actions,” he said.

      A routine review of overtime reports turned up the overpayment, the state said, and the employee admitted adjusting her work time in the system to include hours she never worked. The actual amount of the loss to the state will be determined by the investigation.

    The employee was not identified, but Brown said she worked in Pierce County in an administrative support job and had been with the agency four years. The woman performed time-keeping duties and had authorized access to the system. Brown said no other cases of false time reporting have been found so far.

     In March, the state Auditor’s Office issued a “management letter item” indicating concern over unauthorized access to the department’s Labor Distribution System. Auditors found that 71 people with no time-keeping responsibilities had access to enter and update hours in the system.

     The department said it now regularly reviews access authorization and is adjusting the system so no employees can enter it and adjust their own hours.