Hearing officer deems allegations admitted against LPN Tammy Picarillo; Department seeks revocation

Hearing Officer Stacy Shulman said Oct. 8, 2025, that allegations in the Department of Public Health’s disciplinary case against licensed practical nurse Tammy Picarillo were deemed admitted after the respondent did not appear and the department moved for the admission. "I grant a motion to deem the allegations admitted," Shulman said, and said she would consider the department’s request that Picarillo’s license be revoked.

The hearing followed formal filings the department entered into the record, including a statement of charges (dated Sept. 11, 2025), a summary suspension order (Sept. 17, 2025) and a notice of hearing sent Sept. 18, 2025. Department counsel told the hearing officer that the department attempted service by certified mail, first-class mail and by email to the last address and email shown in the state e-licensure database, and a USPS tracking entry showed a delivery attempt on Sept. 22, 2025 to 12 Elm Street, Seymour, Connecticut. Hearing Officer Shulman said she had "no reason to believe that the notice that was provided is insufficient," and declared the notice sufficient.

Department attorney Tony Fazina told the officer that the department had entered investigative and disciplinary documents into the record and, because Picarillo did not file an answer or appear, moved to deem the allegations admitted. Fazina summarized the department’s position: Picarillo had been placed on probation in a March 5, 2025 memorandum of decision (and later an amended decision), and, after the amended decision was provided in June 2025, she failed to comply with probation conditions requiring licensed, preapproved therapy for chemical dependency, submission of therapy reports, observed random chain-of-custody alcohol and drug screens and submission of laboratory reports, and attendance at anonymous support-group meetings with quarterly reports to the department.

Brett Karpuska, a department liaison who was put under oath to testify about service, told the panel, "I have not had any communication with miss Picarillo. In addition to that, I have not received any returned emails to the email address" listed in the licensing database. The department also entered an affidavit from Stephen Carriger, the public health services manager in the Practitioner Licensing and Investigation section, stating Picarillo’s license number, that the license remained active but suspended as of Sept. 18, 2025, and listing the same last known address of record.

Because the allegations were deemed admitted, the department did not call witnesses, and the hearing officer said the record was closed. "The record is officially closed," Shulman said, and added she would review the exhibits and the admitted allegations before issuing a decision. The department asked that Picarillo’s license be revoked; Shulman did not announce a final disposition at the hearing.

The record in the case includes: the department’s investigation report, the March 5, 2025 memorandum of decision placing Picarillo on probation, an amended memorandum of decision issued in April 2025 and related correspondence and a notice of noncompliance dated Aug. 5, 2025. The hearing transcript shows there was no answer on file from the respondent and no testimony that she received the notice of hearing.

Next steps are administrative: the hearing officer will review the exhibits and admitted allegations and issue a written decision; the transcript does not state a date for that decision or whether any further proceedings will be scheduled.