A federal appeals court has reinstated Obama administration regulations that guarantee overtime and minimum wage protections to nearly 2 million home health care workers.

The court in Washington ruled that the Labor Department had authority to change the wage rules covering domestic workers who help the elderly and disabled with everyday tasks such as bathing or taking medicine.

Workers hired through third-party staffing agencies haven't been eligible for minimum wage and overtime pay since 1974.

A federal judge had scrapped the rules earlier this year after finding that the agency had overstepped its authority, but the appeals court reversed that ruling.