DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

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NEWS RELEASES AND BRIEFS

News Release
SECRETARY OF LABOR THOMAS E. PEREZS STATEMENT ON
SUPREME COURT DENYING CHALLENGE TO MINIMUM WAGE,
OVERTIME PROTECTIONS FOR HOME CARE WORKERS
WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following
statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Courts decision not to hear a challenge to
the departments Home Care Final Rule:
The U.S. Department of Labors Home Care Final Rule is vital to the nearly two million
workers who provide home care services to our loved ones who wish to remain in their
homes and communities.
Until this rule, this growing and increasingly important group of workers who provide
compassionate and competent care to our aging parents and to family members with
disabilities were left out of the American promise of a fair days pay for a hard days
work. It undermines Americas basic bargain when an estimated 40 percent of home
care workers rely on public assistance to make ends meet. These are dedicated and
skilled workers, and they deserve to be paid as such.
In 2011, in keeping with our statutory authority, we began a process to update the
rules and provide home care workers with the same minimum wage and overtime
protections enjoyed by most workers in the country, including those who perform the
same duties in nursing homes. We did so in a transparent manner, consistent with the
requirements of the federal rulemaking process, accepting and carefully considering
public comments. The Home Care Final Rule is legally sound, and it was the right thing
to do.
Todays decision by the court not to review a challenge to the Final Rule ensures that
the rule can fulfill President Obamas vision of an economy where hard work pays off
and responsibility is rewarded. That will mean greater economic stability for so many
hard-working people. For everything they do for our families, they deserve and now
they will get a fair shot at being able to take care of their own. The final rule will also
mean a more stable and professional home care workforce, benefitting consumers of
these services and better meeting the needs of an aging population.

We have worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including state officials,
providers of home care services, advocates representing people with disabilities and
worker advocates, to encourage thoughtful implementation of the rule. We have two
goals: extending basic labor protections to home care workers; and ensuring that
Medicaid participants and their families enjoy continued access to the home and
community-based services they need, particularly services delivered through innovative
models of care.
We continue to stand ready to provide all stakeholders with the technical assistance
necessary to help them comply with the rule.
OPA News Release:
06/27/2016
Media Contact Name:
Jason Surbey
Email:
surbey.jason@dol.gov
Phone Number:
(202) 693-4668
Release Number:
16-0668-NAT