In 2018, federal investigators cited Hahn March for failing to pay overtime wages to employees at Aging and Disabled Home Healthcare in Indiana. Now, March is again under scrutiny for allegedly improper pay practices at two Indianapolis home healthcare companies she owns, Signal Health Group Inc. and SHG Employee Leasing Company.

An October 21, 2024 complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Labor in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana accuses March and Chief Financial Officer Nancy Stanley of using an artificial regular rate pay scheme. This scheme reportedly lowered hourly rates and resulted in $86,427 in unpaid overtime wages to employees at Signal Health Group Assisted Care @ Home and SHG Employee Leasing Co.

The department alleges that from March 16, 2020, through March 15, 2022, these companies took actions to misrepresent their compliance with overtime payment requirements, including mislabeling wages as discretionary bonuses.

The department seeks $172,854 in total compensation—comprising back wages and liquidated damages—for 43 current and former employees. It also requests a court order prohibiting March and Stanley from future Fair Labor Standards Act violations.

Investigators found additional violations such as failing to combine hours for joint employers to calculate overtime worked, not compensating travel time between job sites during workdays, incorrectly categorizing some employees as exempt from overtime requirements, and failing to maintain accurate time records.

Christine Heri, Regional Solicitor of Labor in Chicago stated: “The Department of Labor has asked the U.S. District Court to recover wages denied to these workers by their employers and to serve notice that trying to evade responsibilities in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act will not be tolerated.”

Signal Health Group operates under the name Signal Health Group Assisted Care @ Home while SHG Employee Leasing Company Inc., registered in Nevada but operating around Indianapolis, provides auxiliary support services like housekeeping.

Aaron Loomis, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Indianapolis explained: “Employees who work in home healthcare – one of our nation’s lowest-paying professions – provide necessary daily and hospice care that allows individuals to remain in their homes and aids them in navigating their basic needs.”

Travis Gosselin is litigating the case on behalf of the department’s Office of the Solicitor. In fiscal year 2023 alone, nearly $31.8 million was recovered by the Wage and Hour Division for over 24,000 workers nationwide within the healthcare industry.

For more information about wage recovery or filing complaints with the division or for confidential compliance assistance via a toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), resources are available online along with a new Timesheet App designed for iOS and Android devices.