New York State Promised Nurses $1 Billion In Bonuses, But Many Haven’t Seen A Dime
A second round of bonus checks went out to healthcare workers in New York State. In an effort to recruit and retain more healthcare workers, New York State authorized giving out the bonuses.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus program on August 3, 2022. The bonus program includes $1.3 billion which will be used to pay for recruitment and retention bonuses.
Certain healthcare and mental hygiene workers in New York State are eligible for the bonuses as Gov. Hochul aims to increase the healthcare workforce by 20 percent over the course of the next five years.
But many nurses say they haven't received a bonus.
According to ABC 7, some nurses never received their first bonus check, nevertheless the second one. Laura Cruz, a registered respiratory therapist, and Marva Washington, a patient care technician, shared their stories with the news station, saying they didn't get the bonuses as promised.
Washington, who had to submit her paperwork twice said,
I called all the way to Albany, I called Washington, help us do something, we needed to advocate for the little people during COVID. If I never get a penny, at least someone is advocating for hundreds of people, all over New York State.
I've personally seen comments from quite a few people who claim to work in healthcare say they are supposedly eligible, but have not received bonuses.
Which Health Care Workers Are Eligible For Bonuses From New York State?
Healthcare workers who make less than $125,000 per year and stay in their positions for a minimum of six months will be eligible to receive a bonus.
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.
The second bonus has begun, with employers receiving payments on January 11 and January 13, 2023, to distribute to qualified employees. By law, employers must receive payment from the state before they can distribute payment.
A qualified employee can receive up to a maximum of $3,000 in total bonus payments over two vesting periods.
Employees will be eligible if they worked a consecutive six-month period between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2024.
- Health care employees who worked between 20 and 29 hours are eligible for a $500 bonus
- Health care employees who worked between 30 and 34 hours are eligible for a $1,000 bonus
- Health care employees who worked at least 35 hours are eligible for a $1,500 bonus
You can see if you're eligible for the bonus here.