When Mitchell Martin Health Care LLC contracted with the US Department of Veterans Affairs in 2020 to provide registered nurses and respiratory therapists to help care for an influx of coronavirus-related patients at four DVA medical centers in the New York City area, it committed to complying with federal wage and contracting laws. However, a US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation determined that the Iselin, New Jersey, healthcare staffing company failed to comply with wage and fringe benefits requirements under the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act , Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. The investigation led to the department’s recovery of $263,289 in back wages for 46 employees. Investigators found that the contractor violated the SCA when it failed to pay five employees the prevailing wage rate and failed to pay required health and welfare benefits or holiday pay to 46 employees. They also did not pay CWHSSA-required overtime compensation to three employees, while one employee did not receive FLSA-required overtime wages.
