STATEN ISLAND, NY — The New York State Department of Health’s Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus (HWB) program is well underway with its second round of payments to eligible healthcare workers expected to arrive any day now.

The state launched the HWB program in August 2022 as a thank you to frontline health care workers for their tireless work during the pandemic and as an “investment in health care.”

Bonuses for employees are being determined by specific “vesting periods,” or hours worked during a consecutive six-month period between Oct. 1, 2021, through March 31, 2024.

So far there have been two submission periods for employers to file claims for their eligible employees to receive up to $3,000 in bonuses.

According to a spokesperson for the Health Department, all of the first vesting period bonuses, for which claims were submitted between Aug. 3 and Sept. 2 last year, have been released.

Employers have up to 30 days to distribute bonuses to their eligible employees.

The submission period for the second vesting period was extended to include an additional month in November to allow employers more time to file claims.

According to the Health Department’s website, payments for the second period were scheduled to be released beginning Jan. 11.

The agency recommends employers contact the Health Department directly with any questions about claims and payments.

ABOUT THE HWB PROGRAM

The $1.3 billion HWB program, enacted in the state’s fiscal year 2023 budget, will provide eligible workers who have annual base salaries of less than $125,000, and will remain in their positions for at least six months.

Employers eligible for HWB program funding include providers participating in Medicaid with at least one employee, and other providers, facilities, pharmacies and school-based health centers licensed under the state Public Health Law, Mental Hygiene Law, and Education Law, as well as certain programs funded by the Office of Mental Health, Office for the Aging, Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Children and Family Services.

Qualified employees who work:

• At least 20 hours, but no more than 30 hours per week are eligible for a bonus of $500.
• At least 30 hours, but no more than 35 hours per week are eligible for a bonus of $1,000.
• At least 35 hours per week are eligible for a bonus of $1,500.

Eligible employees can receive up to $3,000 in total over two vesting periods.

Employees are ineligible if they have ever been suspended or excluded from the Medicaid program. Employers must enroll qualified employees in the HWB program, by creating an account in the online portal, and award the funds no later than 30 days after a worker’s eligibility for a bonus has vested.

Employers must be either currently enrolled and maintain an active MMIS ID with eMedNY or employers who do not have an MMIS ID, meaning they are not enrolled in the NYS Medicaid system, will need to verify they have a Statewide Financial System (SFS) ID. Eligible employers without eMedNY can enroll at www.emedny.org.

More information about the program can be found on the Health Department’s website or the HWB portal at https://www.nysworkerbonus.com.

In addition to the website, more information about the HWB program can be found by calling the HWB Call Center at 1-866-682-0077.

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