A top deputy at Texas' massive state health agency was given the job without any competition and then granted nearly $100,000 to pay for his graduate school tuition, according to state records.
Casey Haney, a former aide to Gov. Rick Perry and state Health Commissioner Kyle Janek, was hired in 2012 as deputy chief of staff at the health commission at $159,000 without a formal application process. He was later given $97,000 to pursue a master's degree in business.
Both circumstances appear to violate agency rules. Agency policy requires jobs open to external candidates be posted online. Tuition payments are to be reimbursed upon graduation.
Deputy Commissioner Patricia Vojack also was granted $37,000 to attend graduate school.
The revelations come with the agency already under fire for signing no-bid contracts.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.