The Labor Department has issued a final ruling regarding wages and hours a Domestic Service Worker (home health aide, companion, CNA,etc) must receive. I mention this for those of us who have home health care aides we hire either through an agency or privately because effective January 2015 the rules on the type of work performed, hourly wages, and overtime may be changed depending on the current pay practices of the hiring agency or we as private employers.

Basically it requires that each person performing services to an elderly or disabled person must be paid minimum wage and overtime pay (after 40 hours worked in a week). Sleep time, meal time, and break time (personal time) may be required. State laws may require additional benefits in addition to those required by the Federal law.

If you hire an aide through an agency, you may want to inquire how the DOL ruling will impact you and what changes (particularly costs and personal time) will be as of January 2015. I am not sure what impact the ruling will have on Medicaid provided aide services.

You can get more information on the DOL wage and hour final ruling at www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfsFinalRule.htm#