Beyond Hospice: Home Health Agencies Plagued by UPICs and SMRCs
In recent years, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has increased enforcement activities in the home healthcare industry. On Tuesday, DOL announced recovery of over $500,000 from an Alabama agency found to have...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), through its Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”), has been intensifying its pursuit of Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) violations by residential care facilities, nursing facilities, home...more
The New York Office of the Attorney General (OAG) recently announced two agreements with White Glove Community Care, Inc. (White Glove). One agreement reached with OAG’s Labor Bureau involved unpaid wages to White Glove’s...more
Issues related to whether individuals are independent contractors or employees receive significant attention by employers and governmental entities because of the critical impact of misclassification. The U.S. Department of...more
On November 23, 2021, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced an education, outreach and enforcement initiative to ensure employers pay professional caregivers minimum wage and overtime in accordance with...more
In response to an industry long in crisis before the pandemic, President Biden’s American Jobs Plan allocates substantial investment in the caregiving industry. The Plan aims to allocate $400 billion toward expanding access...more
Governor Northam recently signed into law a half dozen new employment laws affecting employers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Among these new laws are two that, beginning on July 1, 2021, will provide new protections for...more
When New York adopted a wage parity law setting minimum wage and benefit levels for home care workers, innovative home health care agency companies created a captive plan structure to meet the benefits requirements. Although...more
On April 3, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the 2020-2021 state budget bills, part of which amended the Home Health Care Worker Wage Parity Law (“Wage Parity Law”). ...more
Yesterday, the Department of Labor issued temporary regulations regarding the “health care provider” exemption to employer-provided paid time off and paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”)....more
In two recent companion cases, Andryeyeva v. New York Health Care, Inc. and Moreno v. Future Care Health Services, Inc., the New York Court of Appeals upheld the New York State Department of Labor’s (NYSDOL) 13-hour rule for...more
On March 26, 2019, the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s highest Court, issued a highly anticipated decision that has major impacts for the home health care industry in New York. The question before the Court was...more
A Bit of Background Home health aides are often hired through a health care agency to work 24-hours shifts caring for elderly or infirm family members. But what about the law requiring employers to pay overtime where an...more
On March 26, 2019, the New York Court of Appeals upheld the state Department of Labor’s (the “DOL”) so-called “13-hour rule” governing payment of home health care aides that work 24 hour shifts....more
On March 26, 2019, the New York State Court of Appeals issued a ruling that will have a significant positive impact on home care agencies across the state. In a five-to-two decision, the Court upheld the validity of the New...more
Employers of in-home health care aides in New York are allowed to compensate employees for only 13 hours of work in a 24-hour shift, given that aides are provided with adequate sleep and meal breaks. The New York Court of...more
New York’s vast home care industry and those who rely on their services breathed a sigh of relief on March 26, 2019, when the New York Court of Appeals gave providers the green light to continue to pay home care aides for 13...more
The day most anxiously anticipated (or dreaded) by the vast home care industry in New York has arrived, and a huge sigh of relief from home care agencies and New Yorkers who rely on their services can be heard across the...more
Yesterday the New York Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited decision on 24-hour shift home health aides who work as “sleep-in” workers....more
With the number of U.S. residents aged 65 and older projected to more than double from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060, home care agencies face a litany of difficulties. Among these are that home care agency...more
The home health care industry suffered a major setback on September 26, 2018, when the New York Supreme Court, New York County, ruled that the New York State Department of Labor's (NYDOL) emergency rulemaking amendment to the...more
The home care industry has faced collapse since a series of New York Appellate Division decisions invalidated New York Department of Labor (NY DOL) policy and held that home care attendants working 24-hour shifts who are...more
A recent federal court decision has added to the confusion surrounding the application of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) "home care" overtime rule and New York's "13-hour" rule regarding compensable work hours for...more
The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) adopted an emergency temporary regulation on October 6, 2017 to address home care aides who work shifts of 24 hours or more. This action comes amidst much anxiety in the industry...more
The New York State Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued an emergency regulation clarifying its minimum-wage rules regarding home care employees. The emergency regulation provides that sleep and meal times for home care...more