The US Department of Labor has closed the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program, effective January 29, 2021 when it was announced. The program ended less than three years from its launch date in 2018.

From the DOL release: 

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the immediate end of its Payroll Audit Independent Determination program launched by the department’s Wage and Hour Division in 2018. The program allowed employers to self-report federal minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act to avoid litigation, penalties or damages, and prohibited affected workers from taking any private action on the identified violations.

“Workers are entitled to every penny they have earned,” said Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Administrator Jessica Looman. “The Payroll Audit Independent Determination program deprived workers of their rights and put employers that play by the rules at a disadvantage. The U.S. Department of Labor will rigorously enforce the law, and we will use all the enforcement tools we have available.” 

Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes, Inc. (RMCL) has been working on a clients’ Vail property for eight years. The homeowners originally contracted RMCL’s construction division to build water features on this high-elevation, mountainous site and subsequently hired RMCL to plant and maintain gardens on the property.

“The clients’ goal was to have thick, vibrant gardens full of color to soften the hardscapes of cascading water,” says Lauren Crary, maintenance & gardening account manager at RMCL, who has been managing this site for the past three years. “They also wanted the gardens to blend into the surrounding wildflower areas and have some ornamentals closer to the home.” RMCL uses annuals, perennials and shrubs to create the color and naturalized effect the clients wanted. The homeowners also wanted to harvest organic produce from their yard by growing climate-appropriate edibles.