QUESTION
What are the current strategies for addressing chronic absences among NYC Department of Corrections staff?
3:12:48
·
3 min
The NYC Department of Corrections has implemented strategies to significantly reduce chronic staff absences, achieving an 80% reduction.
- Currently, 362 staff members are reported as out sick, with 200 classified as chronically absent, including Correction Officers and other roles.
- Strategies include assessing medical competence and potential departmental separation for those unable to return to work.
- A health management division was established to manage absences more effectively, including those due to on-the-job injuries.
- The process from identifying chronic absence to taking action ranges approximately from 4 to 6 months.
Sandy Nurse
3:12:48
The number of staff that are right now currently reported as chronically absent.
3:12:58
Out sick, however whatever the terminology takes.
Sherrie Rembert
3:13:01
So total out sakes currently today is 3 62.
3:13:07
As of March 7th, excuse me, yesterday, is 3 62.
3:13:11
And the total for indefinite sake, which is our chronic, is 200.
3:13:16
The breakdown is 174 for CEOs.
3:13:19
17 for captains, 3 for 80 w, 6 for civilians.
Sandy Nurse
3:13:24
And what is what are your strategies right now for reducing, you know, getting people either back to work or getting them off the payroll if they don't want to come back to work.
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:13:35
So I just want to point out, like, at the beginning of January 2022, our sick numbers, we had approximately about 26 hundred people out sick.
3:13:47
And shortly in the spring, I took over managing the health management division.
3:13:52
And we were able to decrease the number of people out sick by 80%.
3:13:58
What we're doing is we're looking at individuals and determining whether or not they are medically incompetent and then the department moves forward with charges for those individuals.
3:14:11
Right?
3:14:13
There it's there's there's there's a path in terms of settling those cases.
3:14:19
And there's a discussion if people are going to come back to work or they're going to be separated from the department.
3:14:25
We continue to communicate with staff who are out.
3:14:29
In addition, we have a lot of staff who are medically monitored for injuries that they've actually attained while on the job.
3:14:38
And so we have a process to manage our medically monitored individuals as well.
3:14:43
Some of those individuals may not necessarily have they may not be facing individuals in city as they go through their treatment, and they're ready to return to to their full status.
3:14:58
But that's something that's ongoing.
3:15:00
The health management division is looking at that very closely to ensure that people are people are showing up for work.
Mala Srinivasan
3:15:07
Okay.
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:15:07
So we've made significant strides.
Sandy Nurse
3:15:09
With the exception of folks who might be on a medical monitoring program, What is the average timeline between identifying someone as chronically absent to taking some course of action that either brings them back, makes the final decision that you're back or you're not.
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:15:27
So typically, if the the policies, if somebody's out, for 40 days or more.
3:15:34
But part of that analysis is to determine whether or not it's work related illness.
3:15:41
Right, if someone's out as a result of a on the job injury.
3:15:45
But our team works closely.
3:15:47
The health management division team works closely with our trial division and with the facility to get the information.
3:15:54
So
Sandy Nurse
3:15:55
how do I understand?
3:15:55
I was just trying to get, like, if there's an average number of days, like, Is it a year?
3:16:00
Is it 6 months before we get to an ultimate decision?
3:16:03
I understand
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:16:04
the variable.
3:16:04
It's approximately it can range from 4 to 6 months.
UNKNOWN
3:16:08
Okay.
3:16:08
Right.
3:16:09
Okay.
Sandy Nurse
3:16:10
I'm gonna pause and allow members of the committee to ask questions council member Brewer.
