MINEOLA, NY–NassauCounty Comptroller Jack Schnirmanannounced the follow-up report of the 2019-issued Living Wage Audit of Personal Touch Home Services, a non-profit agency providing home care services to Nassau County residents. The audit wasinitiallystartedto examinethe agency’s compliance with the Nassau County Living Wage Law and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nassau County.
The follow up report being issued today was undertaken is part of the Comptroller's Office new policy of reviewing of all issued audit reports to assess if the Comptroller’s recommended corrective actions had been implemented. Of the findings and recommendations in the original audit, Personal Touch accepted and carried out positive actions, fully addressing 100% of the auditors’ recommended corrective actions. In this process, 55 employees received approximately $8,880 in payments for wages and uncompensated time off which they should have been paid.
Follow-ups from the Comptroller’s Office measure auditee responses as “green,” “yellow,” or “red.” In this follow-up audit, 100% of the issues were marked as “green,” indicating that Personal Touch Home Care has successfully implemented all of the Comptrollers' recommendations.
"Audit follow-ups are about accountability and responsibility, makingsure an auditee addresses issues identified by our auditors for the betterment of our residents, taxpayers, and the employees who are supposed to be paid the Living Wage," saidNassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman. "Audits aren't about playing 'gotcha', they're about results. In this case, all of our auditors’ recommendations have been fully implemented and this is a win for the County, and for the employees who received the wages and paid time off they earned.”
“The work of the Nassau CountyLivingWageAdvisoryBoard is vitally important to the men and women who are employed by Nassau County’s vendors. In addition to recovering wages for workers who are not receiving the appropriatewages and benefits, the Comptroller’s Office plays a critical role in ensuring continued compliance by vendors, as is the case with the recent audit of Personal Touch Home Services” said John R. Durso,Chair of the Nassau County Living Wage Advisory Board President of the Long Island Federation of Labor AFL-CIO and Local 38 RWDSU/UFCW.“I am looking forward to the continued partnership between all of the members of the Nassau CountyLivingWageAdvisoryBoard and the Comptroller’s Office to protect Nassau’s workers and residents.”
The Nassau County Living Wage Law wasoriginally enacted in 2007 to ensure that employees of certain companies that Nassau County does business with are earning a Living Wage. The Comptroller’s Office continues to perform audits, respond to employee complaints and inquiries, and monitor providers ensure that they remain in compliance with the Living Wage Law. Anyone with questions about their coverage under the County’s Living Wage Law shouldcontact the Comptroller’s Living Wage Hotline at516-571-WAGE.
Since 2007, the Comptroller’s Office, working with the County’s Living Wage Advisory Board, has released 47 Living Wage audit reports encompassing 37 different contractors, identifying a total of more than $1.4 million in underpaid wages and under accrued compensated time off in 1,890instances. Since taking office, Schnirman has revitalized the Committee, ensuring it holds regular quarterly meetings. Read the fullaudit at https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/Audits