Hartford Public Schools employees claimed dozens of dependents who weren’t eligible for the district’s health insurance plan, according to a new audit by Secova, a management consulting company.
The report says that’s costing the Hartford Public Schools’ health insurance program at least $500,000 a year. And with proper enforcement, the district could potentially save millions of dollars over the next decade if these people are removed from the plan.
The audit identified at least 123 dependents (spouses and children) of Hartford Public Schools’ employees who were on the district’s health care plan and shouldn’t be receiving medical coverage from the district.
The school district declined to comment on the audit.
Secova is now examining if employees who work for the City of Hartford have improperly claimed dependents on its health plan.
The city’s chief auditor, Craig Trujillo, told the audit commission he got a briefing on the latest Secova audit from a staffer yesterday.
“He's getting a lot of heat and pushback from retirees and community groups, on, why do we have to give all this information?,” said Trujilo.
Secova said in its report on Hartford Public Schools that the number of dependents who were actually ineligible for health insurance coverage was about the same amount, percentage wise, as other school districts it has audited.
