A federal judge has approved a $162 million settlement for approximately 200,000 downstate home care workers who accused Public Partnerships LLC of paying them late, underpaying them and mishandling benefits.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi granted final approval Tuesday in Brooklyn, the workers’ attorneys announced. Payments are expected to begin in early 2027 if there are no appeals.
The agreement resolves Calderon v. Public Partnerships, a wage-and-hour lawsuit involving New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or CDPAP.
Although PPL administers the program statewide, the settlement covers qualifying work performed in New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.
Who qualifies for payments
The settlement includes current and former personal assistants paid through PPL as the statewide fiscal intermediary for CDPAP services performed in those four areas between March 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026.
The Legal Aid Society’s eligibility guidance makes clear that the case concerns downstate workers. Performing CDPAP work solely in the Finger Lakes does not meet that geographic requirement.
Eligible workers who remain in the settlement class do not need to submit a claim form to receive payment.
What workers alleged
Four personal assistants — Philip Calderon, Farshad Pinchasi, Allison Fields and Dana Folgar — brought the case.
Their amended complaint alleged problems with PPL’s timekeeping and payroll systems, including difficulties recording hours through its app, telephone system and online portal. They also alleged problems processing paper timesheets and correcting missing or inaccurate payments.
The workers accused PPL of violating federal and state wage laws and providing benefits that failed to comply with New York’s Home Care Worker Wage Parity Act.
“When paychecks came late or came up short, it was a real hardship for me and for other caregivers,” Fields said in the attorneys’ announcement.
PPL has denied wrongdoing and said the settlement contains no admission of liability. The company said resolving the case would avoid the time and expense of continued litigation.
How the money will be distributed
The court-authorized settlement notice describes four principal components:
- $40.5 million in general damages.
- $25 million in compensation previously allocated to a minimum essential coverage health plan.
- $92 million in accrued paid time off.
- A $4.5 million reserve fund.
Court-approved legal fees, litigation expenses, administration costs and payments to the four class representatives will come from the fund before workers receive their distributions.
Payments will vary based on factors including hours worked, benefit allocations and remaining paid-time-off balances. Workers’ paid-time-off balances will be adjusted to reflect those payouts.
The agreement also ended mandatory participation in the health plan as of April 30, 2026.
Attorneys said that, without appeals, the settlement becomes effective after 30 days. PPL then has another 30 days to send the guaranteed recovery to the administrator, putting anticipated payments in early 2027.
Workers can check the settlement website for updates and contact administrator Atticus Administration at 800-314-2601 to confirm payment or contact information.
A separate settlement from the CDPAP transition case
CDPAP allows eligible Medicaid recipients to choose caregivers, including relatives or other trusted people, to help them remain at home. PPL became the program’s single statewide fiscal intermediary in April 2025, replacing hundreds of administrators.
That transition also prompted a separate lawsuit over consumers’ access to care.
A previous CDPAP settlement required notices, hearing protections and assistance for people struggling with the transition. That case, Engesser v. McDonald, concerned protections for people receiving services.
The newly approved $162 million agreement addresses compensation claims brought by downstate workers.
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