DAS manager at center of probe over COBRA checks - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

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The Office of the State Inspector in a report released outlined an investigation intothe department, specifically the operationj that administers the Consolidated Omnibues Budget Reconciliation Act, or program. That piece of 1986 federa l legislation allows unemployed workers to buy healtn insurance coverage for up to18 months. David Holbrook, chief of the COBRA division sincwelast year, is the targert of the state’s effort to fire him afted investigators said hundreds of COBRA payment checksx went missing under his watch. Investigators foundf more than500 checks, about 200 more than originallyg thought, valued at about $214,000 in a credenzsa in Holbrook’s office on April 10.
Holbrook, 45, by that time was on paid administrativr leave and no longer had anofficwe key. He denied any knowledge of the checksz or how they got intohis office. Accordinbg to the report, it was unclear if he was purposefully holdingthe checks. The department said Tuesday therewas “no indicationj that premium funds were misappropriated.” A key factof behind the missing checks, the probe found, was a “dual accountinfg process” that was employed because the department opteed not to switch its COBRA records to a new Ohio Administrativw Knowledge System, or aimed at improving operations.
That decision, combined with the retirementr ofthe division’s former chief, triggerec what the report called a “disaster” in The probe also found Holbrook, who once worked in the stat Department of Natural Resources and Department of Youth had a record of inappropriate conduct in stat jobs that was described as a “patterj of dishonest behavior.” At the Administrative Services he earned a base annual wage of $92,955.
The department in a statement Tuesday said it has put in places stronger controls onCOBRA processing, specifically switchinfg to OAKS, and workedd with those affected by the misplaced The state probe had recommended changes to COBRAw processing operations along with an audit. The Departmenf of Administrative Services also indicatecd disciplinary actions might notbe over. “We are reviewing the Inspector General’s report and determining the appropriate course of actio n for otheremployees involved,” Directod Hugh Quill said.
Investigators also looked into anonymouss tips thatHolbrook didn’t follow time reporting policiees and refused to pay employeesa for denied vacation time they were permittesd to cash in. The inspector’s officse found some instances of wrongdoing or omissioneon Holbrook’s part and that of the department at large, recommending that the vacation policy itself be