US Department of Labor recovers $79K in wages for 39 healthcare workers serving individuals with disabilities in Louisiana

Employer name:                    Touch of Grace Services LLC

                                                 Touch of Grace ADHC/LTC LLC

Investigation site:                  Natchitoches, Louisiana

Investigation findings:  Fair Labor Standards Act overtime violations were found when the employer, a home healthcare agency that provides companionship and other services to individuals with disabilities, paid 39 healthcare direct service workers straight-time rates for overtime hours worked instead of time and one-half the employees’ hourly rate of pay, as the law requires. The employer also failed to pay its supervisors the salary required to meet the overtime exemption and failed to pay overtime premiums to non-exempt employees who performed administrative and office tasks as their primary job function, but also worked shifts as direct service workers on weekends or as needed.

Back wages recovered: $79,529

“Workers in the home healthcare industry provide essential services to people who depend on them, and their employers must pay these workers all their hard-earned wages,” said Wage and Hour District Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans. “This case shows violations in the home healthcare industry are all-too-common, and they are easily avoidable by contacting a local Wage and Hour Division office for technical assistance.”

Learn more about Wage and Hour Division.