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In an effort to recruit skilled healthcare workers during a time in which the industry is under significant strain, while also retaining the staff who have been working under difficult conditions since the pandemic began, New York State has launched the Health Care Worker Bonus Program (HWB) to recognize the efforts of those workers and provide financial rewards. As part of the new budget for the state, $1.2 billion in funding will go to bonus payments for certain frontline healthcare workers.
According to the official press release, bonuses will be awarded to eligible workers who make less than $125,000 annually and remain in their positions for at least six months. Disbursements will be commensurate with the number of hours worked and duration of service within designated vesting periods for up to a total of $3,000 per employee.
Health Care Worker Bonus Program Qualified Employers
Per the NYS Department of Health, qualified employers include certain providers with at least one employee, and that bill for services under the Medicaid state plan or a home or community-based services (HCBS) waiver, providers that have a provider agreement to bill for Medicaid services provided or arranged through a managed care organization or a managed long term care plan, and certain educational institutions and other funded programs.
Providers must enroll in eMedNY – a part of the state’s Medicaid system – with an active Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) ID number, to ensure that bonuses can be executed correctly. Once enrolled, providers can begin enrolling as soon as next month for benefits.
Health Care Worker Bonus Program Worker Eligibility
According to the program rules, qualified employees must be “front line health care and mental hygiene practitioners, technicians, assistants and aides that provide hands on health or care services to individuals”. An employee is only qualified if they work for a qualified employer (as described above) and under an Eligible Worker Title.
The program goes on to state that employees must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Qualified employees must continuously be employed by a qualified employer for the duration of at least one vesting period (see below)
- Qualified employees must have an employee title included on the list of Eligible Worker Titles;
- Qualified employees must not exceed an annualized base salary (excluding any bonuses or overtime pay) of $125,000, as evidenced by an Employee Attestation, which they must complete and return to their employer;
- Qualified employees can be full-time, part-time, or temporary employees as well as independent contractors; and
- Qualified employees must not be suspended or excluded from the Medicaid program during the vesting period.
Penalties for Non-Compliance with the HWB
The program’s rules state that a qualified employer who fails to identify, claim, and/or pay any bonus for more than 10 percent of bonus-eligible workers may be subject to penalties of up to $1,000 per violation of the HWB Program. The Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) will audit payments released by eMedNY to ensure funds were appropriately claimed and dispersed.
Health Care Worker Bonus Program for Educational Institutions
Because many schools employ healthcare workers who may be eligible for the bonus, such as nurses, speech-language pathologists, and occupational and physical therapists, as of October, the HWB is open to educational institutions in New York.
The following educational entities are included in the list of eligible employers: nonpublic schools, charter schools, approved preschool programs for students with disabilities, school districts, and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES).
Additional information can be found on the HWB Program Portal or by calling the Health Care Worker Bonus Call Center at (866) 682-0077.
Easily Manage Bonuses with GTM’s Payroll Platform
Whether your employees qualify for this bonus or any other type of additional payment, deduction, or garnishment, GTM’s payroll platform, isolved, makes it simple to manage your employees’ hours. View and process payroll when you want, where you want, and how you want. isolved’s full payroll preview puts you in control of your own payroll processing, alerting you to potential errors before you process. Your data is available to you 24/7 from our secure data servers. No software to install or updates to make, allowing you to focus on your employees.
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