** FDNY medics asked to repay money given in payroll mistake; amounts to hundreds, sometimes, thousands of dollars
UNITED STATES NEWS
** EMS medics in New York are being asked to repay money after a payroll mistake saw their ranks handed $3.5 million they didn’t earn. That is the word from the Staten Island Advance (October 13) which said the money, paid between March and August of this year, amounts to hundreds of dollars per person in over payment. In a few instances, the excess cash was around $10,000 above what should have been given. According to the news site, the error occurred when bonuses were arranged for 20 paramedics and officers volunteering with the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division. For some reason, however, 3,590 employees were given raises. Staff have been told they can either repay the money in one shot or in small payments. EMS Officers Local Union 3621 president Vincent Variale, meanwhile, said most members wrongly assumed the extra money was due to a contract settlement.
