Caregiver Agencies Fear Change In Overtime Rule

Mark Ricciardi, managing partner of the Las Vegas office, was quoted in the March 17 Review Journal article "Caregiver Agencies Fear Change In Overtime Rule." The article reported that the U.S. Department of Labor may change a 37-year-old rule that exempts from overtime workers who provide nonmedical, in-home companion care for seniors and the disabled. The new rule would require companies to pay overtime to companion workers who put in more than 40 hours a week. Mark said the rule change would load more expenses on to providers, and thus wouldn't help the sector overall. More overtime pay "will result either in the elderly and infirm getting fewer hours of help, or in companies who provide caregivers making much lower profit margins."