Attorney General's Office Recovers Half of Overpayment
State auditors reported the Connecticut Attorney General's office overpaid a retiring employee $22,096 for unused sick time in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Human Resources
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The Connecticut Attorney General's office overpaid a retiring employee $22,096 for unused sick time, in violation of state law on retirement payouts. The office recovered $11,000 of the overpayment, while the remaining $11,000 was reported as unrecoverable.
Why it matters
The case highlights gaps in oversight of non-standard payroll transactions at a state agency. The office has since tightened internal controls over termination payouts in Connecticut state government.
The overpayment of $22,096 was reported in an October loss report, with $11,000 recovered and $11,000 deemed unrecoverable. The internal agreement to accept 50% of the overpayment was reached before the former employee refused to pay more.
The players
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong's office
The Office of the Attorney General is the state's chief legal office, responsible for representing Connecticut in legal matters and overseeing its own internal operations, including payroll and human resources.
The details
Auditors found the office overpaid one employee for unused sick time, violating state law on the permitted payout amount upon retirement. The office and the former employee reached an internal agreement to accept 50% of the overpayment, and the office concluded it would not prevail in an action to recover the rest.
Timeline
Fiscal years 2022 and 2023: overpayment period covered by the state audit.
October 2026: auditors issued the loss report on state department losses.
November 13, 2026: reporting on the recovery shortfall was published.
Human Resources Oversight
The case is one example of the non-standard payroll transactions that Connecticut state audit loss reports document across agencies. It shows how a single unchecked termination payout can produce a loss that the state must then try to recover.
Connecticut public employees whose termination payouts are calculated by their agency may see stricter verification steps before payment. The new controls require a Director of HR to sign off on figures checked against Core-CT balances.
The takeaway
Agencies that process termination payouts can prevent costly overpayments by verifying calculations against system balances before any money is released. Independent sign-off before payment is the control that catches errors early.
Further reading
Explore more on Human Resources policies and payroll controls affecting Connecticut workers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by New Haven Register.
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