October 20, 2009

High Risk Update—State Overtime Costs: A Variety of Factors Resulted in Significant Overtime Costs at the Departments of Mental Health & Developmental Services

The California State Auditor reviewed state payroll records to evaluate overtime paid to state employees from fiscal years 2003-2004 through 2007-2008. During the five-year period the state paid more than $2.1 billion in overtime; of that, $1.3 billion was to employees of five agencies: Highway Patrol, Forestry and Fire Protection, Veterans Affairs, Mental Health (DMH), and Developmental Services (DDS). Among all state employees, only those in the five agencies received more than $150,000 in overtime pay during the five-year period. The auditors reviewed overtime rates for the highest-paid job classifications at DMH and DDS: registered nurses at forensic DMH facilities and psychiatric technician assistants at DDS developmental centers.