Laid off employees sue Univita for lack of notice

MIRAMAR, Fla. ­- Omar Olivier and about 1,000 other employees who have lost their jobs at Univita Health filed a class action complaint against the company on Aug. 2.

The employees were laid off on July 28, after Univita notified insurers that it would no longer provide homecare products and services to Medicaid patients in Florida and, subsequently AHCA announced that Univita was no longer processing prior authorizations.

“The plaintiff brings this action on behalf of himself and other similarly situated former employees…who were not provided 60 days advance written notice of their terminations by defendants, as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act,” the nine-page complaint reads. “Plaintiff and similarly situated employees seek to recover 60 days of wages and benefits, pursuant to the WARN Act from defendants.”

The majority of the 1,000 employees who lost their jobs worked at Univita's headquarters in western Miramar or at a nearby satellite office, according to notices filed with the state.

Olivier worked there as a senior business analyst.

Other employees worked at Southeast Homecare, a company in Fort Lauderdale managed by Univita; Univita Homecare Solutions, a pharmacy operating out of Univita's headquarters, and Univita Health, a provider of nursing, equipment and other medical care.

Univita says the layoffs will be completed by Aug. 12, according to notices filed with the state.

Previously, Univita Health had a stronghold on the homecare market in Florida. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration in 2014 transitioned all of its Medicaid patients to managed care. Of the 14 managed care organizations running the program, 10  contracted with Univita to administer DME.

Stakeholders warned at the time that the move would create a monopoly and would create a conflict of interest for Univita, an administrator and provider.