SOUTH JERSEY – Patients seeking cancer screenings, biopsy follow-ups and stitch removals have been left scrambling for answers as employees of Connolly Dermatology say they have not been paid in weeks and offices across multiple states appear to have abruptly shut down.
The New Jersey Department of Labor confirmed it is investigating complaints involving the large dermatology chain after workers alleged they have gone unpaid since May 1.
Employees said the current payroll crisis was not entirely without warning. Several workers described a similar situation in February when paychecks reportedly began arriving days late. While employees said they were eventually paid at that time, the delays triggered complaints to the Department of Labor and raised concerns internally about the company’s financial stability.
“We all contacted the Department of Labor in February,” said Tara Marie Sirico, who worked as a medical assistant primarily in the Barnegat office. “They opened up an investigation because he was late paying us for about three weeks in a row.”
According to employees, management remained in communication during the earlier payroll issues and workers were ultimately paid, even if checks arrived a week or more late. Employees said the current situation felt markedly different because communication from leadership largely stopped altogether.
Tracy Piccardo, a receptionist who worked in the practice’s main office in Linwood, said employees initially tried to remain hopeful because earlier payroll delays had eventually been resolved. “Back then, they were in communication with us,” she said. “Our paycheck was supposed to be in our bank account on Friday and they would send us an email saying, ‘Hey guys, sorry, you’re not going to get paid.’ But then we would get paid like a week later. This time has been different.”
For many employees, the crisis has become both financial and deeply personal. “We didn’t get the May 15 paycheck,” said Sirico. “We haven’t received one since then.”
Sirico, who lives in Little Egg Harbor, is a single mother whose daughter graduates high school this year. Like many of Connolly’s employees, the loss of wages has created financial hardship.
“It’s not just about me,” said Sirico. “We have a great staff. I love the providers I worked with, including the nurse practitioners and the physician assistants.”
Many of the staff members stopped showing up for work on May 22 after repeated attempts to get answers failed. Sirico was among them. “I’m not going to continue working for free,” she said. “By that time, Dr. Connolly had not reached out to us. He wasn’t even speaking with his management, so management had no answers for us.”
Daniel Harvat, a medical assistant who worked in the practice’s Galloway and Linwood offices, said employees across multiple offices had reached a breaking point by around the same date. “For those who live paycheck to paycheck, including myself, it’s truly making life hard in every aspect.”
Harvat said that his name was promptly removed from email lists after he officially resigned a week ago. He’s relied on updates from other employees who are technically still with the practice.
“There’s a new person named “Fred” who’s been involved in distributing payments,” said Harvat. “But we’ve had to reach out individually via email to let Fred know we are still missing paychecks. There are invoices that we have to do and frankly I don’t feel comfortable sharing my information. I’m going to reach out to a lawyer to see what their opinion is and how much help we can receive.”
An employee who asked to remain anonymous also shared an email outlining what appeared to be a new process for obtaining overdue wages through the Bills.com platform.
According to the staff member, workers were instructed to create accounts through the service and submit invoices and banking information in order to receive payment. The employee said the communication raised additional concerns because it did not resemble the company’s normal payroll procedures through direct deposit.
Several workers said they complied with the instructions but still had not received payment as of last weekend. Others questioned why employees were allegedly being asked to invoice the company for wages they believed should have already been processed through regular payroll channels.
The employee described the situation as “confusing and unsettling,” adding that workers were increasingly concerned about sharing personal financial information while still lacking answers about whether the company had the ability to pay outstanding wages at all.
For many staff members, the sudden unraveling of the company felt especially jarring because Connolly Dermatology had appeared to be growing aggressively until only weeks ago.
Expanding Offices
Connolly Dermatology’s problems come after years of rapid expansion that transformed the practice from a South Jersey dermatology office into a multi-state operation.
According to the company website, Connolly Dermatology grew to include offices throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Florida, with locations listed in communities including Barnegat, Toms River, Forked River, Manahawkin, Linwood, Cape May Court House, Hammonton, Wall, Philadelphia and Miami.
Employees said the practice had continued expanding even as payroll problems were allegedly developing behind the scenes. Some pointed specifically to recently opened Florida offices and aggressive advertising campaigns in Pennsylvania, where billboards promoting Connolly Dermatology reportedly appeared near bridge crossings. Staff members said Pennsylvania offices appeared to be among the first locations affected by closures and furloughs.
Several workers also described Dr. Coyle Connolly as largely absent from day-to-day office operations despite his name appearing prominently throughout the company’s branding and advertising. Employees said most offices were staffed primarily by physician assistants and nurse practitioners, with Dr. Connolly himself rarely seen in person.
“I worked there for almost two years and I never met him,” Harvat said.
Sirico similarly said she only briefly encountered Connolly during her five years with the company. “I met him maybe once,” she said. “We were instructed not to approach him or speak to him.”
Another employee who asked not to be identified also described noticing what they believed were warning signs inside the practice months before payroll problems escalated publicly. Several said offices experienced shortages of basic supplies, while others claimed lower-quality materials and products began appearing in some locations as the company expanded.
Repeated emails, phone calls and text messages seeking comment from Dr. Connolly went unanswered.
Patients Want Answers
Patients across the region have also been caught off guard by the apparent operational breakdown of the practice.
Some described arriving for scheduled appointments only to find locked offices or signs posted on doors referencing staffing shortages. Others said they received automated cancellation emails and text messages without any follow-up communication from staff members.
In some cases, patients said the notifications themselves appeared inaccurate or confusing. One patient shared a cancellation text for an appointment the patient said had never actually been scheduled. The message stated that an appointment “scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026” had been canceled because of “unforeseen scheduling changes” and promised that “a member of our team will contact you regarding rescheduling.”
Employees interviewed for this story said they felt especially troubled for longtime patients who had developed relationships with office staff over the years. “People trusted us,” one employee said. “That’s one of the hardest parts of all this.”
The post Patients Turned Away, Workers Say They Went Unpaid At Dermatology Chain appeared first on Jersey Shore Online.
