Associated Press

North Dakota's workers compensation board has affirmed the firings of the agency's former internal auditor and chief of support services.

Both the auditor, Kay Grinsteinner, and support services director Jim Long were dismissed last month from Workforce Safety and Insurance. Board members voted 8-2 to affirm the firings.

Grinsteinner and Long say they were fired because they discussed possible wrongdoing at the agency. But the board's vote says Grinsteinner and Long were not fired as retaliation.

Board member Ed Grossbauer argued that Long should be offered a severance package, but other board members rejected the idea.