WORCESTER – Pinnacle Home Healthcare Services, Inc. and its owner Pauline Mwangi will have to pay $162,000 in restitution and penalties, including back pay to more than 200 employees, for state and hour laws violations, according to Attorney General Maura Healey.
“Home health aides provide thousands of elderly and disabled residents in Massachusetts with the care they need for daily living,” Healey said. “We’re pleased that we were able to help Pinnacle employees get back the wages they earned.”
Pinnacle and Mwangi have been cited for failing to make timely payment of wages to home health care aides who provide assistance with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, and housekeeping to elderly, ill, and disabled clients throughout central and western Massachusetts.
They will pay back wages for 233 employees.
Healey’s office began its investigation after receiving a complaint from a Pinnacle employee alleging the company was issuing her checks that were missing pay for specific hours worked.
The investigation revealed many discrepancies between actual hours employees worked and the hours reported on their timesheets. An audit of Pinnacle’s payroll records covering Sept. 2016 through Nov. 2017 revealed a pattern of late and underpaid wages.
As a result of the AG’s investigation, Pinnacle has improved its timekeeping and payroll services to ensure that workers are paid in full and on time.
Pinnacle Home Healthcare is located at 324 Grove St. in Worcester.
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