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How is the travel time counted if an employee does not travel directly between the homes of two individuals receiving services?

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Workers who travel to more than one worksite for an employer during the workday must be paid for travel time between each worksite; if the travel is not direct because the employee is relieved from duty long enough to engage in purely personal pursuits, only the time necessary to make the trip must be paid.

For example, Tiffany is a direct care worker who is employed by Handy Home Care Agency. She provides services to two of the agency’s clients, Mr. Jackson, from 9:00am to 11:30am, and Mr. Smith, from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. Tiffany drives to the two different worksites which are 30 minutes apart. She leaves Mr. Jackson’s home at 11:30am and goes to a restaurant for lunch, shops for herself, and then arrives at Mr. Smith’s home at 2:00pm.

Because Tiffany is completely relieved from duty long enough to use the time effectively for her own purposes (i.e., lunch and shopping) not all of the time is hours worked. The 30 minutes required to travel between the two homes is hours worked and, as of January 1, 2015, must be paid by the Handy Home Care Agency even though Tiffany did not travel directly between consumers.


October 2018

Tags: Travel Time

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