A former Centene employee is suing the company claiming it failed to administer overtime pay following a cyberattack, according to the March 2 complaint.
Centene was one of the victims of the nationwide Ultimate Kronos Group cyberattack on Dec. 11, 2021, a hack that crippled timekeeping and payroll systems for providers and payers alike. The attack put facilities around the country into payroll downtime as their timekeeping and human resources platforms were effectively shut down.
Despite the attack, the Centene employee claimed that the company could have still actively tracked employees' overtime pay another way until the issues were resolved. Instead, the complaint said the company used inaccurate payroll estimates or referenced old pay periods to issue payment to hourly employees, which avoided paying out overtime.
Employees of some providers hit by the attack have already filed lawsuits on similar grounds. As of mid-January, 11 hospitals were still facing payroll issues.