Controller: County Paid $200K in Medical Claims to Ex-Employees

has paid more than $200,000 in health insurance costs to former employees who were no longer eligible to make medical claims.

That number is nearly double the figure revealed by a county audit last month. The Morning Call reported two weeks ago that an audit of 2010 medical claims found $103,000 in improper payments and medical fees.

Now, county says that a more extensive audit looking at the years 2007-2011 showed that the figure has more than doubled, with the county paying $207,522.50 in costs and administrative fees. He plans on bringing the matter to county council when it meets next week.

Most of that, Barron says, comes from one employee, who submitted $130,000 in medical claims after being fired by the county.

Barron said he and human resources director Pat Siemiontkowski are meeting with the district attorney about those claims.

"We want to make sure we do everything we can to enhance the chances of holding this former employee accountable and recovering this money for the taxpayers," he wrote in an e-mail to county council that he forwarded to local media outlets.

Barron said "poor internal controls" led to this and other former employees never being removed from the county's health care system.

"This audit was similar to an audit conducted in 2007," Barron said in a statement when the audit was released. "We had similar problems and the issue was never corrected by the administration."

County Executive John Stoffa was not immediately available for comment Thursday afternoon.