Home Health Visits Assigned by Race Draw Settlement
Michigan home health employers must document visit assignments and protect staff who raise discrimination complaints.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC agreed to pay $41,137 and provide other relief to settle an EEOC race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. The in-home health provider, which serves central Michigan, assigned home visits based on employees' race and fired a Black certified nurse assistant within 48 hours of her complaint.
Why it matters
The EEOC alleged the agency assigned home visits by race, sending a Black certified nurse assistant to Grand Blanc five times in two months while three white employees were sent more than 135 times in the same period. The settlement is a reminder for Michigan home health operators that scheduling and assignment decisions are subject to federal anti-discrimination enforcement.
The EEOC's complaint compares 5 Grand Blanc assignments for one Black certified nurse assistant over two months against more than 135 for three white employees in the same period. The consent decree runs five years and includes a $41,137 payment to the terminated employee.
The players
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The federal agency enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws, including race discrimination and retaliation, and can sue employers that fail to resolve violations through conciliation.
Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC
A private in-home health care provider serving central Michigan that must now train all employees annually on race discrimination and report complaints to the EEOC.
The details
The EEOC said the company assigned home visits based on the race of the employee, not on documented need or role. The Black certified nurse assistant, hired in April 2023, was sent to Grand Blanc far less often than a white colleague hired about a month later. After she complained about the reassigned Grand Blanc visits, she was terminated within 48 hours. The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after administrative conciliation failed to produce a pre-litigation settlement.
Timeline
April 2023: Mid-Michigan hires the Black certified nurse assistant.
About one month later: The company hires a white certified nurse assistant and assigns her more visits.
Two months after the first hire: The Black CNA has been sent to Grand Blanc only five times.
Within 48 hours of her complaint: She is terminated.
November 3, 2026: The EEOC announces the settlement from Flint, Michigan.
Market Landscape
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC's consent decree applies to a private in-home provider's scheduling practices, not just hiring or firing. The five-year decree with annual training and reporting requirements is a standard enforcement template the commission uses to monitor employer compliance.
Operators of home health agencies should review how visits and shifts are assigned so that decisions rest on documented criteria rather than employee race. Any retaliation risk after an internal complaint is a separate exposure that the consent decree's reporting requirements will keep visible for five years.
The takeaway
The consent decree's five-year term means Michigan employers should expect continued federal reporting on race discrimination complaints. Operators should audit scheduling and assignment records by race and document the business reasons for every reassignment before any complaint arrives.
Further reading
For more on how employment rules shape the health care workforce, explore Nursing Jobs coverage across Michigan.
More information
Review the EEOC race and color discrimination information for the agency's guidance on employer obligations.
Source note: This article includes information reported by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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