DHHS staffer paid $50K for one month on job

RALEIGH

DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos paid her chief of staff more than $50,000 for one month on the job.

A settlement agreement shows that Tom Adams, who was hired as Wos' chief of staff, was paid $37,000 after he left the agency on April 1.State records show that was just one month after he was brought on. He also made his salary of more than $13,000 for a month of work.

When he hired by Wos, Adams' salary was $155,000. His settlement agreement was three times what he made in the one month he worked at DHHS.

A letter to state Budget Director Art Pope shows the administration signed off on it.

DHHS Spokesman Ricky Diaz did issue a statement which said, "The size, scope and responsibilities of the Department of Health and Human Services are immense, and the challenges are among the greatest in state government. Since January, over 1,600 people have left the department and over 1,400 people have been hired to positions."

ABC11 tried to get through to Adams, but our calls did not get through.

He likely wouldn't say much, however. As with many severance agreements, this one is effectively a gag order for both Adams and the state.

See It On TV | Report A Typo |  Send Tip |  Get Alerts | Send us photos
Follow @abc11 on Twitter  |  Become a fan on Facebook

Copyright © 2023 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.