SpecialtyCare Training Repayment Agreement Settlement

The SpecialtyCare Training Repayment Settlement resolves Fuchs, et al. v. SpecialtyCare, Inc., a challenge to the Associate Repayment Agreement — the stay-or-pay contract that required SpecialtyCare's surgical neurophysiologists to pay the company back if they left before completing three years. SpecialtyCare has agreed to pay $725,000 and to stop collecting the repayment debt. Five things decide whether this page is about you, and the first one rules out almost everybody. First, this is a closed list of 371 named people. Paragraph 39 of the Settlement Agreement distributes the fund “in the proportions listed on Exhibit 7,” and Exhibit 7 is a table of 371 SpecialtyCare employee ID numbers drawn from the company's own records. There is no claim form and no way to add yourself. If you were a perfusionist, a surgical assistant, an autotransfusionist or any other SpecialtyCare role, or an SN at a different neuromonitoring company, you are not in this class. Second, November 2, 2026 is not a claim deadline — it is the deadline to leave. It is the postmark date to opt out or object, and nothing more. Doing nothing is exactly what gets you paid. Third, the benefits stack rather than compete. Class members receive a cash payment and cancellation of the repayment debt; there is no election and no trade-off. But the debt relief is narrower than the cash: Paragraph 38 limits it to the IDs “listed with a star” on Exhibit 7, which is 206 of the 371. Fourth, the “up to about $10,727” ceiling covers the check only. The debt relief is separate and uncapped, and for anyone carrying a real balance it is the bigger half of the deal. Fifth, $725,000 is the gross fund. After requested fees of up to $241,667, expenses of up to $206,000, $7,999.99 in administration and $5,000 to each of two class representatives, roughly $259,300 reaches the class. On the Exhibit 7 percentages that puts the middle of the table near $634, with only about 15 of 371 allocations above $1,000 — the $10,727 figure is the single largest share on the list, not a typical one. Final approval is set for December 11, 2026, and nothing is paid before then.

Do I Qualify?

You may be eligible if:

• Your SpecialtyCare employee ID appears on Exhibit 7 of the Settlement Agreement. This is the whole test. Exhibit 7 is a fixed table of 371 employee ID numbers with a fixed percentage beside each one, built from SpecialtyCare's employment records, and there is no claim form, no self-identification step and no procedure for adding yourself to it
• You were a surgical neurophysiologist (“SN”) employed by SpecialtyCare. Not a perfusionist, not a surgical assistant, not an autotransfusionist, not any other operating-room role SpecialtyCare staffs — the class definition names SNs and nothing else
• You were subject to the training repayment agreement, which SpecialtyCare calls the Associate Repayment Agreement. Being an SN is not enough on its own; the repayment contract has to have applied to you
• Restraint of trade subclass: the agreement applied to you at some point from August 23, 2017 to June 10, 2026. This is the 371-person list
• TILA subclass: the agreement applied to you at some point from August 23, 2022 to June 10, 2026. This is 172 of the same 371 people, and being in both subclasses draws from two of the three allocation pools
• You do NOT need to have left SpecialtyCare. 125 class members were current employees as of June 10, 2026, and they are allocated from their own pool — with SHORTER tenure drawing more, because more of the three-year term was still unserved
• You do NOT need to have actually paid SpecialtyCare anything. Having paid only changes your allocation: step one of Paragraph 39 sets aside 100% of what you paid before the pools are divided
• You do NOT need to file anything, enter a notice ID, prove a balance or keep a receipt. Payment is calculated from employment records and mailed automatically
• You do NOT need to live in Tennessee or any particular state. Neither subclass definition has a residency or work-location requirement
• WHO DOES NOT QUALIFY — EXCLUSION 1: any SN who signed a general release waiving claims against SpecialtyCare. This is the exclusion most likely to catch someone who otherwise fits, because a severance agreement or a settled repayment dispute normally contains one, and it removes you from BOTH subclasses
• EXCLUSION 2: any SN who resigned within 30 days of starting
• EXCLUSION 3: any SN who qualified for a contractual exception to the repayment obligation under Paragraph 2 of the Associate Repayment Agreement
• DEBT RELIEF IS NARROWER THAN THE CASH: Paragraph 38 grants debt relief only to class members “listed with a star next to their ID number on Exhibit 7” — 206 of the 371. The remaining 165 receive a check and no debt relief, because SpecialtyCare does not contend they owe anything
• NOT COVERED AT ALL: patients whose nerve function SpecialtyCare monitored during surgery, SNs at other intraoperative neuromonitoring companies with similar stay-or-pay contracts, and anyone who validly opts out by November 2, 2026 — an opt-out forfeits both the payment and the debt relief

No proof, no claim form, no notice ID — and no way in if you are not already on the list. Those two halves are the same fact, and the second half is the one that matters. Payment is calculated entirely from SpecialtyCare's employment records and the fixed percentage table at Exhibit 7 of the Settlement Agreement, so there is nothing for a class member to prove. There is also nothing for a non-class-member to submit. Exhibit 7 is a closed table of 371 employee ID numbers. SpecialtyCare compiled it; the Court approved distribution “in the proportions listed” on it; and no claim portal exists that would let anyone else assert eligibility. If you believe you were an SN subject to the Associate Repayment Agreement during the class period and you did not receive a notice, the only step available is to contact ILYM Group at claims@ilymgroup.com or (888) 250-6810 and ask — the administrator works from the employment data SpecialtyCare provided, and Paragraph 41 contemplates the parties resolving missing-data issues in good faith. What the administrator does need from you is a working address. Notice went out by email with a postcard fallback, and payment defaults to a paper check mailed to your last known address. Verifying or updating that address, or arranging a wire or transfer instead of a check, is the one piece of housekeeping worth doing now, and Paragraph 41 provides for it. The debt relief needs nothing from you either. Paragraph 38 operates automatically against SpecialtyCare for every class member who does not opt out — there is no waiver to sign and no balance to confirm — but note that it reaches only the 206 of 371 IDs carrying a star on Exhibit 7. One real risk of doing nothing at all: the check expires. Under Paragraph 46 you have 90 days from mailing to cash the check or contact ILYM Group for another payment method, after which the money is transferred to your last known state's unclaimed property fund. Watch your mail into 2027.

What Happened?

SpecialtyCare, Inc. supplies surgical neurophysiologists (“SNs”) to hospitals to monitor patients' nerve function during surgery. Its Associate Repayment Agreement — a training repayment agreement provision, or “TRAP” — required an SN who left before completing three years of work to pay the company back for training.

In August 2023 SNs sued in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, alleging the agreement is an unlawful restraint of trade under Tennessee law and that it violates the federal Truth in Lending Act because it functions as an undisclosed extension of credit. The case is Fuchs, et al. v. SpecialtyCare, Inc., No. 3:23-cv-00892, before Chief Judge William L. Campbell, Jr.

SpecialtyCare denies all allegations of wrongdoing and liability and maintains its practices were lawful and complied with all applicable laws. The official notice states plainly that the Court has not decided the case on behalf of either side.

This settlement did not come early or easily. The Court certified classes, dismissed separate federal overtime claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and in March 2026 denied both sides' motions for summary judgment, leaving the case close to trial. Two mediations failed before the parties reached an agreement in principle on July 1, 2026. The Settlement Agreement and Release was filed on August 14, 2026 as ECF No. 234-3.

Chief Judge Campbell granted preliminary approval on September 2, 2026 (ECF No. 235) and appointed ILYM Group, Inc. as settlement administrator. Notice went to the class by email, with a postcard as backup where an email bounced.

The settlement has two moving parts. SpecialtyCare pays a $725,000 Gross Settlement Amount, none of which reverts to the company, and separately agrees under Paragraph 38 not to seek to collect any amount it contends is owed under the Training Repayment Agreement from any class member who does not opt out — including amounts that would come due later for SNs who were current employees on June 10, 2026 and leave before finishing three years. That non-collection promise is expressly limited to the Training Repayment Agreement and does not touch any other agreement, debt, overpayment, restrictive covenant, confidentiality or trade-secret obligation.

Class counsel are Nichols Kaster, PLLP, Towards Justice and Donati Law, PLLC. The final approval hearing is December 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 6B of the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse, 719 Church Street, Nashville, and the notice warns that date can change without further notice. No final approval has been granted and no payment date has been announced.

How to File Your Claim

1. DO NOTHING AND YOU ARE PAID. There is no claim form, no claim portal, no notice ID to enter and no claim deadline. ILYM Group calculates each payment from SpecialtyCare's employment records and Exhibit 7 of the Settlement Agreement and mails a check automatically if the Court grants final approval
2. NOVEMBER 2, 2026 IS NOT A CLAIM DEADLINE — IT IS THE DEADLINE TO LEAVE. It is the postmark deadline to opt out or to object, and nothing else. Letting it pass without acting is the correct move for anyone who wants the money and the debt relief. Missing it costs you nothing
3. meeting it by opting out costs you everything
4. THE ONE THING WORTH DOING: confirm the administrator can reach you. Notice went out by email, with a postcard as backup if the email bounced, and payment is by paper check to your last known address unless you ask otherwise. If you have moved, changed your name, or want payment by a method other than a check, contact ILYM Group at claims@ilymgroup.com or (888) 250-6810. Paragraph 41 provides that payment is by check unless you contact the administrator to arrange a different method
5. YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE DEBT. Paragraph 38 bars SpecialtyCare from seeking to collect any amount it contends is owed under the Training Repayment Agreement from any class member who does not opt out. There is no form to file, no waiver to sign and no balance to confirm
6. TO OPT OUT: complete the opt-out form included with your notice and mail it, postmarked by November 2, 2026, to ILYM Group, Inc., P.O. Box 2031, Tustin, CA 92781. Include your name, address, telephone number and signature. Read the payout section before you do — opting out forfeits both the check and the debt relief, and Paragraph 57 states an opt-out receives neither. Paragraph 55 also provides that group or mass opt-outs covering more than one class member are not effective
7. TO OBJECT: you must both file a written objection with the Clerk of Court and mail a copy, postmarked by November 2, 2026. The notice directs objections to ILYM Group, Inc., P.O. Box 2031, Tustin, CA 92781 and to the U.S. District Court, Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse & Federal Building, 719 Church Street, Suite 1300, Nashville, TN 37203. Your objection must include the case name and number (Fuchs, et al. v. SpecialtyCare, Inc., No. 3:23-cv-00892), your full name, address, telephone number and email if you have one, your reasons, whether you or your lawyer intend to appear at the final approval hearing, and your signature. Objecting does not forfeit anything — an objector still receives the payment and the debt relief if the settlement is approved
8. THE FEE REQUEST IS OBJECTABLE TOO. Class counsel will ask for up to $241,667 in fees and up to $206,000 in expenses out of the $725,000 fund. The notice states you may object to the fees even if you think the settlement terms are fair, and the same November 2, 2026 deadline applies
9. NOTHING IS PAID YET. The final approval hearing is December 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 6B of the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse, 719 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203, before Chief Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. The notice warns the hearing date can change without further notice. Paragraph 41 gives SpecialtyCare 21 days after the Effective Date to fund the settlement and the administrator 14 days after that to distribute. An appeal would push the Effective Date out further
10. CASH YOUR CHECK WITHIN 90 DAYS. Under Paragraph 46 you have 90 days from mailing to negotiate the check or contact ILYM Group to arrange a wire or transfer. After 90 days the money goes to the unclaimed property fund of the state where you were last known to reside
11. QUESTIONS: ILYM Group, Inc., P.O. Box 2031, Tustin, CA 92781, (888) 250-6810, fax (888) 845-6185, claims@ilymgroup.com. Class counsel are Anna Prakash and Joshua O'Neill of Nichols Kaster, PLLP, Juno Turner and Rachel Dempsey of Towards Justice, and Bryce Ashby of Donati Law, PLLC, appointed by the Court at no charge to you. Do not contact the Court
12. Visit the official claim form: https://specialtycareincsettlement.com/

How Much Will I Actually Get?

TWO BENEFITS THAT STACK — THERE IS NO EITHER-OR HERE. This settlement is not the usual pick-one structure. Every class member who does not opt out receives a cash payment, AND every class member whose employee ID carries a star on Exhibit 7 separately receives cancellation of the training repayment debt. You do not elect between them, you do not trade one away for the other, and nothing on any form changes which you get. The only decision in front of you — do nothing, opt out, or object — does not split the benefits: doing nothing gets you both, objecting gets you both, and opting out gets you neither. THE $10,727 CEILING APPLIES TO THE CHECK ONLY, NOT TO THE DEBT RELIEF. The official notice's range, “at least $100 to approximately $10,727,” describes the cash allocation. The debt relief in Paragraph 38 is a separate, uncapped promise not to collect, and for an SN carrying a five-figure repayment balance it is plainly worth more than the check. Neither the notice nor the Settlement Agreement publishes a dollar value for the debt relief, so no total combined figure exists. THE $725,000 IS THE GROSS FUND, NOT THE PAYOUT POOL. Paragraph 18 defines the Gross Settlement Amount as $725,000, and Paragraph 39 distributes only the Net Settlement Fund. Four requested deductions come out first: up to $241,667 in attorneys' fees, up to $206,000 in litigation expenses, $7,999.99 in administration costs capped by Paragraph 45, and $5,000 to each of the two class representatives. If the Court awards every request in full, roughly $259,300 is left for the 371 class members — about 36 cents on the headline dollar. Every one of those deductions is a request subject to the Court's approval on December 11, 2026, and if the Court awards less, every individual payment goes up. There is no reversion: Paragraph 18 provides that no part of the Gross Settlement Amount goes back to SpecialtyCare. ABOUT $10,727 IS ONE PERSON'S SHARE, NOT A TYPICAL ONE. This is the number most likely to mislead. Exhibit 7 lists a fixed percentage of the Net Settlement Fund for each of the 371 IDs, and those percentages sum to exactly 100%. The largest single share on the table is 4.144993% — that one allocation is where the “approximately $10,727” ceiling comes from. Applying the published percentages to a roughly $259,300 net fund, the middle of the table lands near $634, only about 15 of the 371 allocations clear $1,000, and only about 5 clear $5,000. Those three figures are our arithmetic on the court-filed Exhibit 7 percentages and the four deduction requests, not official projections — but the shape they show is not in doubt: a handful of long-tenured SNs draw four and five-figure shares and most of the class is in the hundreds. HOW YOUR NUMBER WAS BUILT. Paragraph 39 runs seven steps. First, 100% of whatever you actually paid SpecialtyCare under the Associate Repayment Agreement for leaving early, measured as of June 10, 2026, is set aside for you. The remainder splits into three pools sized by headcount — 172 TILA subclass members, 371 restraint of trade subclass members, and 125 current employees whose debt relief value depends on when and whether they leave. The TILA pool is divided evenly. The restraint of trade pool is divided pro rata by length of employment, longer tenure drawing more. The current-employee pool runs the opposite way — SHORTER tenure draws more, because those SNs had more of the three years left to serve. Everything is then reduced proportionally for the court-approved deductions, and finally any allocation still under $100 is raised to $100 by evenly lowering the others. That last step is not cosmetic: on the Exhibit 7 percentages, 9 allocations fall under $100 before the floor is applied, the smallest around $3. ALREADY PAID SPECIALTYCARE? You do not get it back dollar for dollar. Step one sets aside 100% of what you paid, but step six then reduces every allocation proportionally for fees, expenses and administration. A full recovery of what you paid is not what this settlement delivers. PAYMENTS ARE TAXABLE AND REPORTED. Paragraph 47 provides that the administrator will issue an IRS Form 1099 to each class member who collects a payment, where required by law, and that each class member is responsible for their own tax consequences. THE SETTLEMENT CAN STILL COLLAPSE. Paragraph 56 gives SpecialtyCare a unilateral right to terminate the whole agreement if more than 10 class members opt out, or if those who opt out represent more than 3% of the total allocation on Exhibit 7. With 371 people on the list, 11 opt-outs is enough to trigger it. NOTHING IS PAID NOW. Final approval is set for December 11, 2026. SpecialtyCare funds within 21 days of the Effective Date and the administrator distributes within 14 days after that, so an objector's appeal would delay everyone. No payment date has been announced.

Last reviewed: September 30, 2026 | Information verified from court records and official settlement documents.

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