State health care workers said Wednesday that it had been four weeks since they last received a paycheck, all because of a glitch in the payroll system.
The problem is leaving some concerned about the future of medical care, and the patients who depend on nurses and other health staff.
Cole Triplett, 10, was born with a condition called CHARGE Syndrome, which left him deaf, blind and on a feeding tube, 10TV’s Glenn McEntyre reported.
He needs constant care, which he gets with the help of six rotating nurses. The nurses allow his mother and father to work outside of the home.
“Without them, we'll be making constant trips to Children’s Hospital, and then there are more bills to pay," said Mary Triplett, the boy's mother.
Courtney Hice and April Doles are two of the nurses that have cared for Cole. Both said it has been weeks since they received any pay.
“(I) went to go take money out of the bank, and it wasn't there,” said Dole.
The state implemented a new system for paying Medicaid providers and said it warned providers that checks would not be issued for two weeks while the new system went online, McEntyre reported.
The nurses said that two weeks came and went, but they still had no paychecks.
"I have had to borrow money to have gas and buy groceries for my children," said Hice.
The Department of Job and Family Services said several factors could be causing payment problems. It said it was critical for providers who have not received payments to call a hotline at 1-880-696-1516 to resolve issues.
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