US Department of Labor recovers more than $50K in back wages for 54 caregivers at Mississippi home healthcare service

MATHISTON, MS – Home healthcare providers expect their workers to meet their clients’ many daily needs. In turn, these workers count on their employers to pay them fairly and legally so they may care for themselves and their families. A recent federal investigation found a Mathiston provider failed to pay its employees overtime and minimum wages as the law requires.

A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation of Neighbor’s Heart Private Care Providers LLC found the employer failed to pay legally required overtime to 54 employees, and failed to pay some workers at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The employer’s practice of paying workers flat weekly salaries regardless of the number of hours they worked led to violations when employees worked more than 40 hours in a workweek and the employer failed to pay overtime. Neighbor’s Heart also violated minimum wage provisions when workers’ salaries failed to cover all the hours they worked at $7.25 per hour. The division also cited the employer for failing to keep accurate records of employees’ work hours.

Following its investigation, the division recovered $50,281 back wages for 54 employees.

“Essential workers who provide home healthcare services deserve to be paid every penny of their hard-earned wages,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Audrey Hall in Jackson, Mississippi. “When employers choose to ignore the law, it hurts employees and their families. We encourage other employers to use this investigation’s outcome as a reminder to review their pay practices to ensure they comply with the law.”

For information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the division, contact the agency’s toll-free at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, and use its search tool if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.