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compensable time and that, to the extent that these hours exceed 40 in one week, time and one-half compensation must be paid. The cases usually show summary judgment on compensability for specific activities. After the judgment, the agency either settles or there is an un-reported verd ict. Only one case, Levering v District of Columbia, specifically states the "appropriate time" for such activity compensation. This case states "30 minutes per day", seven days per week. What is this compensation for? The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a "Letter Ruling" dated August 11, 1993. This ruling stated: 1. Bathing, brushing, exercising, feeding, grooming, cleaning of the dog's kennel or transport vehicle, administering drugs or medicine for illness and/or transporting the dog to and from an animal hospital or veterinarian and training the dog at home are all compensable activities. 2. All these activities apply to workdays as well as days off duty or during vacation periods. Using the Levering case, when do the math, the minimum compensable time owed to a canine handler for the at-home care of his dog is: :30 minutes per day x 7 days per week = 3.5 hours per week. A lot of agencies have a problem computing the .5 hour. Those agencies typically round up the 3.5 hours to 4 hours per week. Methods of compensation: A) Factor all compensable time into the handler's normal workday. The handler's normal workday would consist of" " hours of normal duties and "_" hours of FLSA compensable time = total workday hours. B) Pay the handler all FLSA compensable time. The rate would be at one and one-half hourly rate for any hours which exceed forty per week. This is expensive, averaging about $6,000 to $8,000 per handler, per year. C) Do a combination of both methods of compensation as listed above. Factor the compensable time into the workday, but if call load prohibits letting the handler leave early, pay the handler for that day only, usually at one hour overtime.