You became a case manager to help people. You coordinate care, advocate for patients, navigate complex systems, and carry caseloads that regularly push you past 40 hours a week. But when payday comes, your check looks the same whether you worked 42 hours or 60.
Your employer probably told you that you're "salaried" or "exempt" — and that overtime simply doesn't apply to you. Here's what they may not have told you: under federal law, most case managers are entitled to overtime pay, and the U.S. Department of Labor has said so repeatedly. This isn't a gray area. The legal authorities overwhelmingly support case managers' right to overtime — and Siegel Law Group has recovered more than $100 million for workers by proving it in courtrooms across the country.
If you've been working more than 40 hours a week without receiving time-and-a-half pay, you may be owed significant back wages.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay overtime — one and one-half times your regular rate — for every hour you work beyond 40 in a workweek. This is the default rule. To avoid paying overtime, your employer bears the burden of proving that a specific exemption applies to you.
The exemption employers rely on most often for case managers is the administrative exemption. But here's the problem: that exemption was never designed for workers like you. It was designed for employees who run the business — the people making high-level decisions about company operations, finance, or strategy. Case managers don't do that. Case managers deliver the core service the employer exists to provide.
The Department of Labor has examined this question multiple times and consistently concluded that case managers are not exempt. Federal courts have reached the same conclusion in case after case, resulting in some of the largest overtime recoveries in the country. The legal landscape is clear — and it favors case managers.
Siegel Law Group has litigated case manager overtime claims for more than a decade, and our results demonstrate why employers should be paying overtime:
Pruess v. Presbyterian Health Plan — $38.7 million.* One of the largest case manager overtime recoveries in the history of FLSA litigation. Presbyterian Healthcare Services — New Mexico's largest private employer — agreed to pay $38.7 million to resolve claims that it failed to pay overtime to its case management and utilization review staff. Siegel Law Group's Jack Siegel was involved in this landmark case.
Deakin v. Magellan Health — $16 million. A federal court certified a class of care coordinators at Magellan Health who alleged they were misclassified as exempt. After years of litigation — including rulings on both class certification and the merits — the case resolved for $16 million.
Woods v. CVS/Caremark — $15.25 million. More than 15,000 workers. Recognized as a Top 10 nationwide wage-and-hour settlement.
Loomis v. Unum Group — $14.8 million. 947 class members at one of the largest disability insurers in the United States.
These aren't theoretical arguments. They are real cases with real recoveries for real workers — and they represent only a fraction of the more than $100 million Siegel Law Group has recovered for employees denied overtime.
Employers use dozens of different job titles for positions that involve essentially the same work. Under the FLSA, what determines your overtime rights is the work you actually do — not what your employer calls you. If your job involves assessing needs, developing care plans, coordinating services, and monitoring delivery, you are likely entitled to overtime regardless of your title.
Common titles for workers who may be owed overtime include:
The question is not whether you are called a "manager." The question is whether the work you do every day qualifies for an exemption — and in our experience litigating these cases for over a decade, it almost never does.
This isn't limited to one industry. Case manager overtime violations occur across managed care organizations, hospitals, behavioral health agencies, child welfare organizations, disability service providers, home health agencies, community health centers, and government contractors. If your employer has case managers on staff, there is a meaningful chance those positions are misclassified.
The financial incentives are straightforward: every hour of unpaid overtime across a workforce of hundreds or thousands of case managers saves the employer millions. That's why the largest managed care companies, health systems, and insurance carriers in the country have faced — and continue to face — overtime claims from their case management staff.
The financial impact of overtime misclassification is often larger than case managers realize. Under the FLSA, you may be entitled to:
Here is how the math works for a typical case manager:
Suppose you earn a salary of $1,500 per week and regularly work 60 hours. Your effective hourly rate is $25 per hour ($1,500 divided by 60 hours). For each overtime hour beyond 40, you are owed an overtime premium of $12.50 (half your hourly rate, since your salary already covers straight-time pay for all hours worked). With 20 overtime hours per week, that equals $250 per week in unpaid overtime.
With liquidated damages doubling that amount, your damages come to roughly $500 per week — or approximately $26,000 per year. Over the three-year lookback period available for willful violations, that totals approximately $78,000 in potential recovery.
And that's for a single worker. In a collective action involving dozens or hundreds of case managers, the employer's total exposure can reach tens of millions of dollars — as the $38.7 million Pruess settlement demonstrates.
Track your hours. Start keeping a personal record of the hours you actually work each week, including time before and after your scheduled shift, work done from home, and any time spent on calls or emails outside of business hours. Use a personal notebook or a notes app on your phone — not your employer's system.
Save your pay records. Keep copies of your pay stubs, offer letters, and any documents that describe your job duties or salary. If your employer changes your classification or job description, save the before-and-after versions.
Know your rights against retaliation. The FLSA prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who assert their right to overtime pay. If your employer fires you, demotes you, reduces your hours, or takes any adverse action because you raised concerns about overtime, you have additional legal protections.
Act before time runs out. The FLSA has a statute of limitations — generally two years, or three years for willful violations. Every week that passes is a week of unpaid overtime you may lose the right to recover.
Talk to a lawyer who handles these cases. Overtime claims under the FLSA are taken on a contingency basis — you pay nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket. Attorney's fees are paid by the employer if the case is successful.
Since November 2014, Siegel Law Group has concentrated its practice in FLSA overtime cases — and case manager claims have been at the center of that work from the beginning. We have recovered more than $100 million for workers and secured more than 50 class and collective action certifications in 27 federal courts across the country. We have taken on some of the largest employers in America and obtained results at every stage of litigation.
We have also built a broader overtime practice representing insurance workers, call center employees, oilfield workers, financial services employees, and others — because overtime violations aren't limited to one industry, and neither is our practice.
If you're a case manager, care coordinator, or anyone working in case management who has been denied overtime, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation. The call takes about 10 minutes. We'll review your situation, explain your rights, and tell you honestly whether you have a case — all at no cost and no obligation. You can also reach us by text at (214) 790-4454 or email at [email protected].
You've spent your career advocating for others. Let us advocate for you.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
How much do you really know about your overtime rights? Take the quiz.
For educational purposes only. Overtime law is complex and fact-specific. This quiz provides general information and is not legal advice.
