(August 9, 2015, 6:25 PM EDT) -- KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas federal judge on July 27 granted preliminary approval of a settlement worth at least $550,000 to end claims by former hospital workers who allege on behalf of themselves and a similarly situated class that they were improperly denied separation benefits at the time they were laid off (Patricia Geiger, et al. v. Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Inc., et al., No. 14-2378, D. Kan.; 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97362)....