When the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down Souder v. Brennan decision in 1973, it put the Department of Labor on notice that it must begin enforcing the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that pertain to payment of patient-workers. The decision also inspired a number of lawsuits around the country -- some based on FLSA provisions, some on constitutional and other grounds -- to collect back wages for work performed in institutions and to require future payment of patient-workers, The suits have raised several complex legal issues; to date few of the cases have been resolved.
https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ps.27.2.106?journalCode=ps