Case at a glance

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
• Case: Brunty v. Optima Health Plan, No. 2:19-cv-00255 (docket search)
• Workers: 178 salaried "Care Coordinator Non-RNs"¹
• Claims: Unpaid overtime under the FLSA
• Key ruling: Certified as a collective action²
• Result: Settled the overtime claims of 178 managed care employees¹
• Settlement: $868,000 (approved May 28, 2020, Doc. 47)
• Our role: Siegel Law Group was lead counsel

Part of our managed care overtime cases →

Optima and Sentara care coordinators settle their overtime case

The case was brought against Optima Health Plan and Sentara Health Plans, Inc. (Optima now operates as Sentara Health Plans) for salaried Care Coordinator Non-RNs. The workers alleged that their work was non-managerial care coordination and utilization review; that they routinely worked more than 40 hours a week; and that they were paid a flat salary, classified as exempt and paid no overtime. The case settled the overtime claims of 178 workers.¹

Read about the certification ruling →

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.

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If you did this kind of work for another employer and weren't paid overtime for hours over 40, tell us your job title, your employer and the state you worked in. We'll tell you plainly whether we think you have a case. Federal law makes it illegal to retaliate against you for asking.

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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 50+ class and collective certifications in 20 federal judicial districts across 15 states, and recovered more than $100 million for workers. It has never represented an employer in a wage case. 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, Dallas, Texas.

Notes

1. Declaration of Jack L. Siegel ¶ 5(c), Heckle v. Matrix Absence Mgmt., Inc., No. 7:21-cv-01463 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 21, 2022) ("Settled the overtime claims of 178 managed care employees on a class-wide basis.").
2. Declaration of Jack Siegel ¶ 13(b), filed in Weeks v. Matrix Absence Mgmt., No. 2:20-cv-00884 (D. Ariz. July 6, 2022) (citing Brunty among cases certified as collective actions).