Is it okay to use a cash over/short account to clear old payables? For example credit card bills are booked to other payables and paid, then distributed via journal entry later when all expense reports are in. When there was one sitting in the other payables account for 6 months it was paid/cleared using the cash over/short account.. not distributed at all. Is this correct?

No obviously this allows a lack of accountability and is little short of embezzlement since the expenditure has not been properly accounted for or one suggests, authorised

I would do a Journal Entry to Allowance for Doubtful Accounts