Dozens to Get Job Back after Food Stamp Scandal

Roughly 40 state employees who were subjects of a food stamp fraud scandal last year will get their jobs back, according to The Hartford Courant’s Capitol Watch blog.

An attorney who represented about 60 fired state workers, Rich Rochlin, told the Courant’s Christopher Keating that, “An independent arbitrator reinstated the workers in the same way that about ,” the blog post said.

The employees will recieve unpaid suspensions ranging from 15 to 60 working days, although they will not lose benefits or seniority, the Courant reported.

Last year, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration said there were reports that a group of state workers fraudulently got state assistance following Tropical Storm Irene. The accused workers were fired, or left voluntarily, although their departures were subjected to a review by an independent arbitor.

As the Courant reported, the employees must pay back the one-time food benefits they got, which ranged from $200 to $1,200.

Malloy’s general counsel, Attorney Andrew J. McDonald, released a statement to the media in light of the arbitration news.

“All of the arbitrator’s decisions confirmed that the decision of the governor to have these matters investigated was correct, and the arbitrator has agreed with the governor’s position that these employees are guilty of substantial misconduct. The arbitrator has also agreed that the state employees’ misconduct merits significant sanctions, imposing severe economic punishments of up to 12 weeks of lost wages. While some of these employees still have their jobs, they have forfeited almost 25 percent of their salary. It’s hard to see how this can be characterized as a ‘win.’”