Angle Connection Nursing Services is located in Long Beach, California. Additionally, it mentioned that the areas of specialization of ACNS include transitional care, respite care, and in-home companionship and care.
In order to avoid paying the lower remuneration, additional time washes, employee payback indemnity, and paid taxes, affiliated businesses like Angle Connection Nursing Services and Angle Connection Nursing Inc. do not define the workers as independent contractors, according to the examiner.Â
Angel Connection Nursing Services- The state penalized Angle Connection Nursing Services roughly around $2 million
The California Employment Commissioner’s Office has ordered Angle Connection Nursing Services, a Long Beach-based home healthcare placement company, to reimburse about $2 million for misclassifying 66 home health aides as independent contractors.
Angel Connection Nursing Services and Angel Connection Nursing Care have been cited by the labor agency for breaking the laws against wage theft. Among these infractions include the inability to pay 22 workers extra time; nine of them were also not given the minimum compensation to which they were legally entitled.
After conducting an investigation, it was discovered that Angel Connection Nursing Services’ owner, Annabelle Ricasata, works there permanently.
According to the state Division of Industrial Connection, it was found that Ricasata had misclassified the workers as independent contractors in order to avoid paying them the required salaries, workers’ compensation insurance, and paid surcharges.
According to reports from the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, most employees of a particular company are recent immigrants from the Philippines who are required to perform rigorous 24-hour shifts six days a week for meager pay of as little as $6.20 per hour with no overtime compensation. When a firm management didn’t pick up the phone, this information became known.
Moreover, according to the labor commissioner, one of the jobs associated with these individuals also failed to give the required workers’ compensation insurance or to produce precise and comprehensive pay statements for the worker who was incorrectly classified.
Angel Connection Nursing Services- Fears of Violence
California Labor Commissioner Lilia GarcĂa-Brower highlighted her concerns about the negative effects of misclassifying workers as individual contractors in reaction to these findings. She underlined that these actions have negative effects on the economy at all levels.
The research draws attention to the fact that caregivers in one specific instance were often refused their legal rights, including reduced pay, overtime, and other necessary work conditions.
The majority of workers frequently don’t realize that they are being wrongly classed and denied basic rights. In order to solve this problem, an office collaborates with trustworthy partners who alert us to incidents that would otherwise go unreported.
Dishonest employers misclassify workers in order to avoid fulfilling their legal obligations as well as to gain an unfair advantage against law-abiding, conforming companies.
The Labor Commissioner’s Office reports that J Jireh Group, doing business as Angel Connection Nursing Care, and Angel Connection Care Services, trading as Angel Connection Nursing Services, have both been the subject of an inquiry.
After a review by Bet Tzedek Legal Services and the Pilipino Workers Center, this investigation was started.
It was found that Angel Connection Nursing Services had control over the wages, working hours, and circumstances that Angel Connection Nursing Care personnel were subject to. Labor officials acknowledged that these workers were incorrectly categorized as independent contractors.
The state has determined that Joseph Fortunato & Merjilyn Chu, the owners of Angel Connection Nursing Care, Ricasata, and Angel Connection Nursing Services, are accountable for more than $1 million owing to their employees.
Angel Connection Nursing Care was found liable by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) for $330,000 for the incorrect classification of 66 workers, $171,000 for the failure to provide itemized payment statements, and $357,046 for a Stop Order Penalty Assessment resulting from the failure to provide workers’ repayment insurance.
The state Labor Commissioner’s Office has been made aware of this situation with the cooperation of PWC, Bet Tzedek, and the Public Works Commission—all of whom are committed to standing up for workers’ rights. Throughout the course of the study, they have also helped identify the impacted workers.
PWC’s executive director, Aquilina Soriano Versoza, praised the caregivers for their courageous disclosure in this case, which brought attention to the common problems faced by domestic caregivers.
Among these problems are working several consecutive shifts without rest periods and without getting compensated for overtime.
Angel Connection Nursing Services- California Cited Angel Connection Nursing Services for Misclassifying 66 Workers
According to reports on the insurance journal website, the California Labour Commissioner’s Office has cited Long Beach, California-based Angel Connection Nursing Services and Angel Connection Nursing Inc. for misclassifying 66 home healthcare workers as independent contractors.
According to the inquiry, Annabelle Ricasata, the proprietor of Angel Connection Nursing Care and a full-time employee of Angel Connection Nursing Services, misclassified the workers in order to avoid having to pay payroll taxes, workers’ compensation insurance, and the correct compensation.
The two corporations have been ordered to pay nearly $1.8 million as a result of the offenses. This includes making up for payment theft, which involved paying 22 workers extra time; nine of them were not even given the minimum compensation to which they were entitled.
Furthermore, one of the organizations neglected to give reimbursement insurance to colleagues and failed to deliver the necessary itemized payment statements to the misclassified employees.
In a number of areas, including home healthcare, there is rising concern over the misrepresentation of employees as independent contractors. Employers can avoid paying workers the correct wages and benefits as well as avoiding their legal responsibilities, such as offering workers’ repayment coverage, by categorizing them as independent contractors.Â
However, it is unlawful to misclassify people in this way, and doing so can have serious financial repercussions as well as harm to the impacted individuals.
The California Labour Commissioner’s Office is committed to ensuring that workers are treated fairly and legally, so they have been taking harsh measures against wage fraud and worker misclassification.
Other firms should take note that engaging in such tactics will not go unnoticed or unpunished, as demonstrated by the cases of Angel Connection Nursing Services and Angel Connection Nursing Inc.
Employees who feel they have been unfairly classified should speak with attorneys who specialize in employment law to learn more about their legal options and rights.
In instances when non-classification is established, workers can be eligible for compensation damages, benefits, and retroactive payments.
The Pilipino Workers Center and Bet Tzedek Legal Services reviewed two companies, Angel Connection Services and J Jireh Group, and the Labor Commissioner’s Office has opened an investigation into them per their instructions. Therefore, the focus of this investigation is on these companies’ alleged pay and labor infractions.
Angel Connection Inc. allegedly exercised control over the wages, working hours, and working conditions of J Jireh Group employees—who were mistakenly categorized as independent contractors—according to the investigation. As a result, the practice is against employment regulations.
$1,021,393 that is owing to the employees has been determined to be jointly and severally responsible between Joseph Fortunato & Merjilyn Chu, the owners of Angel Connection Nursing Care, Ricasata, and Angel Connection Nursing Services.
Nevertheless, the sum also includes $213,163 in unpaid smaller payments, $283,058 in liquidated damages, $329,515 in extended time payments, $14,123 in contract payment, and an extra $181,534 in attentiveness.
In addition, 66 employees’ incorrect classification has left Angel Connection Nursing Care liable for $330,000. They also bear responsibility for failing to submit itemized wage statements, which carries a $171,000 penalties. In addition, the business was fined $357,046 for neglecting to offer workers’ compensation insurance.
Any civil penalties that are collected are required by California law to be deposited into the State’s General Fund.
This inquiry emphasizes how crucial it is for businesses to follow labor regulations and make sure their workers are treated fairly. There are serious repercussions for violations including misclassification and failing to provide benefits and payment in a timely manner, both financially and legally.
In order to resolve these labor infractions and ensure that employment regulations are followed, the Labor Commissioner’s Office keeps up its vigilant efforts.
Angel Connection Nursing Services- The Bottom LineÂ
To sum up, the Angel Connection Nursing Services case serves as a clear reminder of how crucial it is to abide by employment rules and classify employees correctly.
The $2 million punishment imposed by the California Labor Commissioner on the home health agency makes it abundantly evident that employers will be held responsible for their conduct and that misclassification will not be allowed.
As a result, this case also emphasizes how vulnerable employees in the home healthcare sector are and how important it is to have strict laws protecting their rights. Regulators can guarantee that workers receive the benefits and protections they are entitled to while leveling the playing field for employers who follow the law by enforcing penalties and taking tough measures against misclassification.
In the future, it is hoped that this case will force other businesses to reevaluate their procedures and take the required actions to abide with labor regulations, thereby promoting an equitable and just workplace for all.
You can use the following link to learn more about Angel Connection Nursing Services and their theft: Angel Connection Nursing Services
