The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disclosed last week that it filed a lawsuit against AccentCare, a national provider of home health, personal care and hospice services, alleging wage discrimination and retaliation against workers.
A spokesperson for AccentCare addressed the lawsuit Monday in a statement shared with McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse.
“We disagree with the EEOC’s claims and plan to vigorously defend this matter,” AccentCare said. “We take our legal and regulatory obligations extremely seriously, have a strong non-retaliation policy, and have been recognized as a top workplace for diversity.”
According to the EEOC’s complaint, AccentCare violated federal civil rights laws by paying female employees less than male workers because of their sex. The provider also allegedly retaliated against and eventually fired Rachael McGeoy, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who had repeatedly complained about the pay inequality and requested a raise.
Rachael McGeoy was hired as a full-time employee by an AccentCare location in Pottsville, PA, in February 2022, according to the complaint. She earned $29 per hour. In July 2022, the Pottsville AccentCare hired Robert Scheuerer as a full-time LPN earning $33 per hour, which was more than any other full-time LPN at the agency, all of whom were women.
McGeoy submitted multiple pay raise requests but never received one because of an alleged pay freeze, which did not actually exist, according to the EEOC. AccentCare also dramatically widened McGeoy’s service area in August 2023, which “imposed a financial hardship both in paying for gas and because she was not compensated for the travel time to and from patients.” Also during that month, McGeoy told a registered nurse working at Pottsville AccentCare that she planned to take up her complaint with the EEOC, and she was terminated shortly thereafter.
The EEOC alleged that AccentCare engaged in two counts of pay discrimination and two counts of retaliation for engaging in protected activity. In its prayer for relief, the EEOC requested a permanent injunction preventing AccentCare from paying female employees less than male employees. It is also seeking damages in the form of back wages and other financial compensation for the affected workers.
Last month, the EEOC obtained $400,000 on behalf of home health aides who alleged racial discrimination against a New York provider.
