The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry failed to quickly and effectively implement Act 102, a 2008 law that prohibits Pennsylvania healthcare employers from routinely scheduling employees for overtime, according to a recent audit by the office of Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale.
The audit, which covered the time period of July 1, 2009 through Aug. 31, 2014, found that necessary regulations related to the law "were not promulgated in a timely manner," and that the department "failed to implement adequate procedures to ensure that all Act 102-related complaints were recorded, investigated and resolved," according to Mr. DePasquale. More specifically, the audit found that for 8 percent of all Act 102-related cases received by the department, the department summarily closed the cases due to its lack of sufficient resources to investigate the allegations.
The report offered a number of recommendations for improvement. For instance, the auditor general's office recommended that the department make sure that, in the future, it meets statuatory implementation deadlines, and said the department should ensure that regulations relating to Act 102 "are fully and consistently enforced." The department officials agreed with the audit report's findings and recommendations, and has vowed to begin corrective action.
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