Rhode Island
RI offers state workers with botched W-2s reimbursement for tax filings
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The McKee administration is offering up to $200 to any state employee who incurred any additional expense in filing, and then having to refile, their taxes because of a series of botched paychecks and W-2s.
How did we get here? On April 15, also known as Tax Day, Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, called on the McKee administration to reimburse public service workers who had to refile their taxes because of a series of several payroll glitches.
On May 4, Thomas Verdi, the acting director of the Department of Administration, sent state workers a “Dear Colleagues” email that said:
“We recognize that the W-2 corrections released by the state may have resulted in additional tax preparation costs for individuals who had to amend their tax returns.
“To assist with this expense, the state will provide a one-time reimbursement for up to $200 for tax preparation and filing costs an employee incurred to amend a federal and/or state tax return directly related to the W-2Cs issued by the State of Rhode Island.”
The latest in a litany of financial issues with state’s payroll system
The Department of Administration has not yet responded to Journal inquiries about the projected cost to the state.
But the list of well-publicized problems goes on and on.
They have included underpayments, overpayments, botched W-2s that misidentified their employer as the “Rhode Island Umbrella Company,” and a problem with Health Savings Account contributions where the employer and employee contributions were reported separately, instead of combined and will require new W-2Cs to go out to impacted employees. according to Department of Administration spokeswoman Karen Greco.
And about $220,000 in union dues inadvertently wound up in employee paychecks instead of being withheld from them.
Most, though not all, of the glitches were attributed to problems with the state’s buggy new $99 million finance and accounting system known as Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, which launched in late 2025.
A Department of Administration spokeswoman told The Journal on April 15 that “significant progress has been made to ensure employees who required paycheck corrections are made whole,” but Crowley said his members “shouldn’t pay for mistakes they didn’t make.”
“That is why we are calling on the state of Rhode Island to reimburse state workers who have incurred expenses for refiling their taxes or may have to do so before problems are corrected.”
Olivia DaRocha, a spokeswoman for Gov. Dan McKee, said at that time that the administration was looking at potential ways to support impacted employees.
The email from Verdi to state workers included an “affidavit” for state workers to sign to verify how much, if anything, additional they had to pay to amend their tax returns.
PROVIDENCE (WPRI) — Cases of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza were confirmed in some birds at Antonelli Poultry in Providence, according to the Rhode Island departments of Health and Environmental Management.
The cases were found in live ducks and chickens during routine quarterly testing. The birds were from out-of-state dealers.
In a press release Saturday, the health department shared that the state veterinarian had to conduct USDA-required euthanasia procedures on 445 asymptomatic birds in order to prevent the disease from spreading further.
While cases of the H5N1 strain are rare in humans, RIDOH is monitoring all staff for 10 days for possible symptoms of the disease.
Antonelli Poultry is set to be closed for 5 days once the infected birds have been removed and the business is properly sanitized. The business is cooperating with the DEM and RIDOH.
The health department is advising anyone who bought poultry from Antonelli Poultry between June 9 and June 12 to double bag the meat and throw it out. For those who may have eaten the poultry, Department of Health Director Dr. Jerry Larkin said the chance of getting sick is still low.
“Cooking poultry to the proper internal temperature of 165° kills bacteria and viruses, including avian influenza A viruses,” Larkin explained in the release. “If you have properly cooked and eaten chicken from Antonelli Poultry, the risk of becoming ill is very low; however, if you develop symptoms of avian influenza, you should seek medical care.”
This is Rhode Island’s first confirmed domestic bird case of avian influenza in 2026.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Rhode Island Department of Health and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said that 445 birds at a bird market in Providence were euthanized after the detection of avian flu during routine quarterly testing.
The department said that the asymptomatic birds were located at Antonelli Poultry.
The business must also remain closed until five days after the birds were disposed of and the entire business was cleaned and sanitized.
“Because staff at Antonelli Poultry may have been exposed to avian influenza, and out of an abundance of caution, RIDOH is monitoring all staff for 10 days for symptoms of avian influenza,” a release said.
To prevent any foodborne illness, RIDOH recommended:
- Wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards before and after contact with raw poultry, meat, seafood, and eggs.
- Keep raw poultry and meat away from food that won’t be cooked—like fruits and vegetables.
- Cook food to the proper temperature and use a food thermometer to check the food’s internal temperature. You cannot tell by looking at food if it is cooked to the proper temperature.
The following recommendations were also given to avoid avian flu:
- Avoid direct contact with birds or other animals infected with, or suspected to be infected with, avian influenza.
- Avoid direct contact with sick or dead wild birds, poultry, or other animals.
- Do not touch surfaces or materials contaminated with saliva, mucous, or animal feces from wild or domestic birds or other animals with confirmed or suspected avian influenza.
- Do not touch or drink raw milk (unpasteurized milk), especially from animals with confirmed or suspected avian influenza.
- Do not handle any sick or dead wild birds or other animals without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).
More information on avian flu in humans can be found here.
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More information on avian flu in animals can be found here.
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