California state agency spent millions on cellphones it workers didn't use, audit says

"The Employment Development Department's excessive cellphone bills date to the COVID-19 pandemic, when it shifted call center employees to remote work and faced pressure to release benefits to millions of suddenly unemployed Californians. It acquired 7,224 cellphones and wireless hotspots by December 2020. State auditors analyzed 54 months of invoices since then and found half the devices were unused for at least two years, 25% were unused for three years and 99 of them were never used at all."

"The investigation, which auditors opened after receiving a tip, identified 6,285 devices that were unused for at least four consecutive months, and said the department spent $4.6 million on monthly service fees for them. From the beginning, the department had about 2,000 more cellphones than call center employees, according to the audit. The gap widened over time after the pandemic ended and the department's staffing returned to its normal headcount."

California's Employment Development Department acquired 7,224 cellphones and wireless hotspots by December 2020 to support remote call center operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of 54 months of invoices found half the devices were unused for at least two years, 25% unused for three years, and 99 never used. Investigators identified 6,285 devices unused for at least four consecutive months and calculated $4.6 million spent on monthly service fees for those devices. The department maintained roughly 2,000 more phones than call center employees and, as of April, paid for 5,097 devices while employing 1,787 call center staff.

Read at calmatters.org