The New York State Department of Health (DOH or Department) recently announced changes to the Healthcare Worker Bonus (HWB) Program that expand employer eligibility and include additional job titles for the program. The Department will open a special submission period in which only employers and their employees impacted by the expansion can submit bonus claims. The date of the special submission period has yet to be announced, but the period is expected to be opened in December 2022.
Qualified Employers
The Department has expanded the list of qualified employers to include DOH-funded Health Homes and DOH-Funded Permanent Supportive Housing Agencies. Employers that meet this classification can submit bonus claims for their eligible Frontline Direct Care Health and Mental Hygiene Workers when the special submission period is opened.
Employee Eligibility
The Department has made significant changes to the employee worker titles eligible for the bonus. To align with the addition of Health Homes to the program, DOH has added health home care managers to the list of job titles in the Frontline Direct Care Health and Mental Hygiene Workers category. Claims for employees who fit this job title and are eligible under Vesting Period 1 and/or 2 must be submitted during the special submission period.
The Department has expanded the list of employers permitted to submit bonus claims for employees with job titles that fall under the All Other Health Care Support Workers list, which was previously limited to hospitals and nursing homes, to include:
- OMH Psychiatric Centers (Article 7 of Mental Hygiene Law)
- OASAS Addiction Treatment Centers (Article 19 of Mental Hygiene Law)
- Residential programs operated or certified by OPWDD, OMH and OASAS (Articles 16, 31 and 32 of Mental Hygiene Law)
- Medicaid Assisted Living Programs (PHL Article 46-B)
- Hospice Residences (PHL Article 40)
The Department also expanded the category of “All Other Health Care Support Workers” to include Security Guards and Peace Officers. Prior DOH guidance had expressly excluded “Security Personnel” from eligibility under the HWB Program. Claims for employees who fit these job titles and are eligible under Vesting Period 1 and/or 2 must be submitted during the special submission period.
