Caregiver Versus Personal Attendant - Wages and Benefits

General Office - Caregiver Versus Personal Attendant - Wages and Benefits

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Are you a caregiver or a personal attendant who works in a underground household or home? As a household employee whether as a caregiver or personal attendant, are you entitled to minimum wage? Over-time pay? Other benefits?

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If hired directly by an personel or family, your benefits are dissimilar from one who is hired by a underground firm or group and governed by general employment laws: applicable federal and state statutes.

A live-in employee as opposed to a live-out employee is subject to extra work rules discussed below.

A caregiver or "care custodian" is defined by Section 15610.17 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code as:

"... An administrator or an employee of...public or underground facilities or agencies, or persons providing care or services for elders or dependent adults, along with members of the maintain staff and maintenance staff."

A "personal attendant" is not entitled to overtime compensation, unless: (1.) he or she is a live-in employee; or (2.) he or she does general household work (cleaning, cooking, feeding, dressing, or supervising) that exceeds 20% of the total work time; or (3.) he or she does nurse-like duties (checking pulse, taking temperature, giving medication) more than 20% of the total work time.

In these three instances, the household employee is no longer determined a "personal attendant" and is entitled to overtime pay. Otherwise, light house holding and cooking chores qualify as work exempt from overtime compensation.

Personal Attendant As Defined In Ca Iwc Wage Order 15:

Section 2(J) of the California commercial Welfare Commission (Iwc) Wage Order No. 15-2001 defines "personal attendant" as follows:

"'Personal attendant' includes baby sitters and means any person employed by a underground householder or by any third party owner recognized in the health care industry to work in a underground household, to supervise, feed or dress a child or person who by intuit of industrialized age, corporeal disability, or reasoning scantness needs supervision. The status of 'personal attendant' shall apply when no necessary estimate of work other than the foregoing is required."

Indeed, the California group of Labor Standards obligation (Dlse) has historically adopted the appropriate used in the federal regulations, 29 C.F.R. 552.6 on "companionship services," to wit:

"...(T)he term 'companionship services' shall mean those services which contribute fellowship, care, and safety for a person who, because of industrialized age or corporeal or reasoning infirmity, cannot care for his or her own needs. Such services may consist of household work linked to the care of the aged or infirm person such as meal preparation, bed making, washing of clothes, and other similar services. They may also consist of the carrying out of general household work: Provided, however, that such work is incidental, i.e., does not exceed 20 percent of the total weekly hours worked."

Federal regulations, 29 C.F.R 552.6, supra, further clarifies that:

"The term 'companionship services' does not consist of services linked to the care and safety of the aged or infirm that require and are performed by trained personnel, such as registered or practical nurse."

Thus, the appropriate duties of a "personal attendant" involve activities of daily living such as getting in or out of bed, showering, bathing, using a toilet. A "personal attendant's" duties of "supervising" would consist of aid in obtaining healing care, preparation meals, shopping for personal items or groceries, using a telephone, even managing money.

As long as any general housekeeping duties performed do not exceed 20% of the weekly working time spent by a "personal attendant," he or she is exempted from the protections of California Wage Order No. 15-2001 such as overtime compensation, etc., except for minimum wage. But prior to 2001, a classification as "personal attendant" also excluded minimum wage in California.

This overtime payment exemption also applies to "personal attendants" as well as other household workers such as caregivers, spending 20% or less of their working time doing general household work, who are employed by an group and sent to underground households to work.

Benefits Of Household Workers:

A. Minimum Wage:

The state minimum wage covers all employees, along with household workers (live-in employees, caregivers, and "personal attendants") but excluding legitimate independent contractors. The current California minimum wage is .00 per hour since January 1, 2008, a 6.7% growth over the former .50 minimum wage.

There are several factors that settle whether a person is an independent contractor or not. But the former factor is operate by the owner of the means, manner and outcome of the job. An independent contractor runs his or her own household services business, has his or her tools and materials, and controls the manner and outcome of the job.

Independent contractors are not covered by minimum wage and overtime payment statutes.

B. Overtime Pay:

Household workers who are not live-in employees, as well as "personal attendants" who do general household work that exceeds 20% of their weekly working time, are entitled to overtime compensation, consisting of one and one half times their quarterly rate of pay for working more than eight (8) hours in a day, or more than (40) hours in a week.

Live-in employees must be paid one and one half times the quarterly rate for all hours worked over twelve (12) hours (instead of over eight (8) hours) in one work day for five (5) workdays. On the sixth and seventh day, live-in employees must be paid duplicate the quarterly rate for all hours worked over (9) hours per day. See California Iwc Wage Order No. 15-2001 3(A)-(B) (8 Cal Code Regs. 11150(3)(A)-(B)).

Under federal law, 29 U.S.C. 213(a)(15), "any employee employed on a casual basis in domestic service employment to contribute babysitting services or any employee employed in domestic service employment to contribute companionship services for individuals who (because of age or infirmity) are unable to care for themselves" is granted exemptions from minimum wage and overtime pay.

C. Other Benefits Of Household Workers:

1. Hours And Days Of Work:

A live-in employee is entitled to at least twelve (12) consecutive hours free of duty during each workday of twenty-four (24) hours, and the total span of hours for a day of work should not exceed twelve (12) hours, except that: (a) the employee must have at least three (3) hours free of duty during the 12 hours span of work; and (b) the employee required or permitted to work during scheduled off-duty hours or during the 12 consecutive off-duty hours must be paid one and one-half times the quarterly rate of pay for all such hours worked. See California Iwc Wage Order No. 15-2001 3(A).

Moreover, no live-in employee shall be required to work more than five (5) days in any one workweek without a day off of not less than 24 consecutive hours except in an emergency. See California Iwc Wage Order No. 15-2001 3(B).

2. Rest And Meal Periods:

Household workers are entitled to a ten-minute paid rest break for every four (4) hours of work under California Iwc Wage Order No. 15-2001 12(A), and a thirty-minute meal period of every five (5) hours worked, just like others kinds of employees, under California Iwc Wage Order No. 15-2001 11(A).

Otherwise, the owner shall pay the employee one (1) hour of pay at quarterly rate for each workday that the rest period, or the meal period is not provided. See California Iwc Wage Order No. 15-2001 12(B), 11(D). But "personal attendants" are not granted rest and meal periods.

3. Meal And Housing Deductions From Wages:

The owner may subtract meal and housing toll from the employee's paycheck if: (a) the employee for real uses the meals and is in case,granted with housing; (b) meals and housing are used as wages to comply with the minimum wage; and (c) the employee executes a voluntary, written agreement, crediting meals and housing towards minimum wage.

Meal prestige may be deducted as follows: morning meal - .45; lunch - .35, and supper - .50. Housing may also be credited at .75 per week for a room (.20 if shared). See California Iwc Wage Order No. 15 - 2001 10(C).

In summary, whether you are a caregiver or a "personal attendant" entitled to single wages and benefits in California or in other states depends on whether the general household work you do exceeds 20% of your total work time.

(The Author, Roman P. Mosqueda, practices wage and hour law in California.

This narrative is not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed with the reader. For definite labor law issues, consult a competent attorney.)

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