On December 1, 2011, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced a new “enforcement initiative” focused on residential care facilities in North Carolina. The DOL’s press release announcing this new initiative says its investigators will be visiting residential care facilities throughout the state to interview employees and review their pay practices and records for compliance with minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). For purposes of the DOL’s new enforcement effort, residential care facilities include group homes, long term care facilities, and other businesses in North Carolina that provide residential care for children, the aged and other individuals with limited self-care abilities.