UCPath’s payroll issues remain unresolved, incorrectly charge UCLA librarian

This post was updated May 27 at 2:31 p.m.

UCPath has been facing payroll and billing issues for years, including most recently a UCLA librarian who received a medical bill despite holding an employment contract which covers medical insurance.

UCPath processes payroll and manages human resources for all University of California campuses. Daniel Schoorl, a librarian and associate editor of the Latin American Institute’s Hispanic American Periodicals Index, received a bill of $1,439.66 on April 9 from UCPath Benefits Billing for his medical expenses and insurance coverage for the month of May – during a leave of absence.

Holly Craig Wehrle, a union representative for University Council-American Federation of Teachers Local 1474, said she has seen more payroll and billing errors since the University transitioned to the UCPath system a few years ago.

“We have seen a really high number of people who are receiving notices of overpayment or underpayment, which means that UCPath is not functioning as it should be,” Craig Wehrle said.

Craig Wehrle said she has helped employees who have been underpaid four to five times in the past few years by advocating for them on behalf of UC-AFT, the union that represents librarians.

She added that notices of overpayment or underpayment cause lots of confusion and many challenges for employees, including tax issues.

Many employees think the problems they face with UCPath are isolated incidents, yet when numerous people receive mispayments and incorrect billing over multiple years, the problem is systemic, Craig Wehrle said.

Schoorl’s librarian employment contract states the University is responsible for insurance coverage during the special two-month leave that Schoorl took.

While the UCLA Benefits Office previously confirmed Schoorl is only responsible for the employee portion of medical coverage, the bill stated Schoorl was responsible for the university’s contribution to medical, dental and vision coverage.

Ryan King, a University of California Office of the President spokesperson, said in an emailed statement that UCOP has resolved the issue with Schoorl. He added the additional charges resulted from an incorrect setting on UCPath.

“We are committed to ensuring UCPath statements are accurate and to quickly addressing the concerns of our employees,” King said May 19.

Schoorl’s campus HR representative emailed him May 17 notifying him UCPath received the employee portion of the bill and the issue was resolved.

However, he added that he received a letter from UCPath dated May 15, which warned him he would lose his insurance coverage if he did not pay the total amount of the bill by May 31.

Schoorl’s campus HR representative has not heard from the UC on how Schoorl can maintain his benefits. Schoorl said UC-AFT has helped him navigate the UCPath issues.

Craig Wehrle said the biggest issue with UCPath is campus HR representatives can no longer resolve problems on their own, as all inquiries must go through the UCPath system.

She added when employees have concerns about mispayments or errors in billing, the only action their campus HR representatives can take is to file a UCPath inquiry, which the employee oftentimes has already done. Before UCPath, campus HR representatives could take more action to resolve any payroll or billing issues, Craig Wehrle said.

“(UCPath) really delays by days and even weeks how long it can take to resolve a problem,” Craig Wehrle said. “When it comes to somebody being told they owe $1,400, or somebody’s being underpaid, you can’t wait that long.”

Schoorl said his campus human representative informed him UCLA’s HR department is decentralized and cannot handle UC-wide requests like UCPath Benefits Billing does.

Schoorl added the incorrect billing is only one of his frustrations with UCPath.

He said he had to pay his insurance premiums with mailed checks because UCPath’s online portal would not accept his credit card.

“(UCPath) has caused more problems, and it’s made it harder to fix those problems,” Craig Wehrle said.