Case at a glance

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
• Case: Barbee v. NaviHealth, Inc., No. 3:19-cv-00119 (docket)
• Workers: More than 1,100 salaried post-acute care management employees¹
• Claims: Unpaid overtime under the FLSA, with Rule 23 state-law class claims¹
• Result: Settled on an FLSA collective and Rule 23 basis¹
• Our role: The court approved Jack Siegel as class counsel²

Part of our managed care overtime cases →

NaviHealth post-acute care management employees settle their overtime case

NaviHealth, an Optum company (UnitedHealth Group), coordinates patients’ moves from the hospital to skilled nursing, home health and rehab. Its salaried post-acute care management employees alleged that they followed established guidelines and protocols, worked more than 40 hours a week, and were classified as exempt without overtime pay.

In Barbee v. NaviHealth, No. 3:19-cv-00119 (M.D. Tenn.), the case settled the overtime claims of more than 1,100 salaried employees on an FLSA collective and Rule 23 basis.¹ On September 21, 2020, Chief Judge Waverly Crenshaw granted final approval.

The legal issue

The administrative exemption covers employees whose primary duty includes "the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance." 29 C.F.R. § 541.200(a)(3). Care coordinators and case managers who work from set assessments, scripts and company workflows are following someone else’s judgment, not exercising their own. A salary and a job title do not change that. See the administrative exemption.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the NaviHealth settlement approved?

Chief Judge Waverly Crenshaw granted final approval on September 21, 2020.

What did the workers claim?

That NaviHealth classified its post-acute care management employees as exempt even though their work followed established guidelines and protocols.

Are post-acute care workers entitled to overtime?

Often, yes. Care management workers who follow established protocols often do not meet the administrative exemption.

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About Siegel Law Group

Siegel Law Group PLLC concentrates in unpaid overtime cases under the FLSA and state wage laws. The firm has filed more than 100 federal overtime cases, obtained more than 50 class and collective certifications, and recovered more than $100 million for workers. Free consultation. Contingency fee: we advance case costs, and they are repaid from any recovery. No recovery, no fee and no costs. Phone: (214) 790-4454 | Email: [email protected]

These are results in other people's cases. Every case depends on its own facts and law. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This website contains attorney advertising.

Attorney responsible: Jack L. Siegel, Siegel Law Group PLLC, 11341 W. US Hwy 290, Bldg. 2, Austin, TX 78737. Licensed in Texas.

Notes

1. Declaration of Jack L. Siegel ¶ 5(b), Heckle v. Matrix Absence Mgmt., Inc., No. 7:21-cv-01463 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 21, 2022) ("Settled the overtime claims of over 1100 salaried employees on an FLSA collective and Rule 23 basis.").
2. Declaration of Jack Siegel ¶ 13(d), filed in Weeks v. Matrix Absence Mgmt., No. 2:20-cv-00884 (D. Ariz. July 6, 2022) (listing Barbee among cases in which Jack Siegel was approved as class counsel).