City Secures $140,000 in Restitution for 223 Home Health Aides

NEW YORK, NY —Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Peter A. Hatch today announced a settlement with Aides at Home Inc., which operates home health care agencies in Elmhurst and Staten Island, to resolve violations of the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law. The settlement requires the home health agencies to pay $140,000 in restitution, $7,400 in civil penalties and adopt extensive compliance measures.

The investigation found that Aides at Home violated the City’s Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law in multiple ways, including failing to allow employees to use accrued paid leave, failing to provide employees with the required Notice of Employee Rights, and failing to distribute a written paid safe and sick leave policy.

"Home health aides work tirelessly every day to ensure our loved ones are properly cared for and equally deserve to take time off to care for themselves or a loved one without fear of retaliation,” said DCWP Commissioner Peter A. Hatch. “We thank the workers for bravely coming forward to report these violations and I urge any others whose rights have been denied to file a complaint with us. We are committed to protecting and fighting for the rights of all workers in New York City.”

Under the settlement, Aides at Home must:

• Pay $140,000 in restitution to 223 home health aides.
• Pay $7,400 in civil penalties.
• Implement new policies that are in compliance with the Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law and that correct the violations in the companies’ prior policies.
• Train employees on updated policies.
• Post and distribute the Notice of Employee Rights and obtain a written, dated acknowledgement of receipt from each employee.
• Appoint a compliance officer to monitor and report on compliance with the laws.

Employers and employees can visit nyc.gov/workers or call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) for more information about the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, including the required Notice of Employee of Rights in multiple languages, one-page overviews for employers and employees, and the complaint form. DCWP also created a multilingual publication that provides important health and safety information for domestic workers and their employers to help them stay safe during COVID-19—including recommended best practices to reduce and prepare for risk of transmission, paid safe and sick leave information, checklists for a healthy and safe workplace, and other City & State resources.

NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses more than 59,000 businesses in more than 50 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCWP protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCWP empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCWP also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City’s communities. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp or on its social media sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.