workforce bonus payment

A. Homecare aides are not an eligible title for the bonus program as they will be eligible for increased minimum wage payments pursuant to PHL 3614-f. As such, employees of Article 36 entities that fall under such titles (e.g., home health aide, personal care assistant, home maker, etc.) A. On 1 February 2022, as part of the Australian Government's commitment to the ongoing COVID-19 response, the Government announced it will provide $210 million to support the aged care workforce, in recognition of their dedication in continuing to care for older Australians during the COVID pandemic. The employee works for a qualified employer. Step 1: Eligibility Read the eligibility requirements provided by the Department. A. For additional questions please contact the HWB Call Center at (866) 682-0077. Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) may reduce the payment amount on a pro rata basis should the volume of requests exceed the funding allotted ($70 million). If additional information is necessary, please call the HWB Call Center at 1-866-682-0077. Please refer to the vesting schedule posted here. Through the bonus program, all staff at licensed and license-exempt child care centers and homes will be eligible to receive the $1,000 bonuses, provided the centers meet certain health and safety requirements. The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program produces detailed industry estimates of nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings of workers on payrolls. Date published: 3 February 2022 Type: Subscriber announcement Audience: Health sector A. The Distribution Plan must be in the form of a document that is signed by the agencys Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Executive Director and an officer of the agencys Board of Directors/Governing Body. Overtime under the HWB program refers to any statutory overtime required to be compensated at 1 times the regular rate of pay pursuant to New York State Minimum Wage Orders or the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Please be advised that, in accordance with SOS section 367-w(4)(f), claims submitted after October 31, 2022 for Vesting Period 1 and 2 were technically late for filing purposes. See the above table for guidance on whether the employee is entitled to the bonus payment depending upon when they separated from the employer. The employee vested and before the employer submits a claim the employee is terminated by the employer. Operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Employers should make every attempt to submit claims as soon as the employee is eligible. Data submitted to the HWB portal will be kept within a secure environment for up to seven (7) years. If the employee's SSN or ITIN is pending, the Employer may submit their bonus claim once their SSN or ITIN is active. A. Please note that your Employer has about 90 days after the end of your vesting period to pay you the bonus. The Government announced on 1 February 2022 that an aged care workforce bonus of up to $800 will be paid to eligible aged care staff in Government subsidised home care and residential care. The statement in the attestation was intended to restrict the transfer of funds between initiatives, not between services/programs. A. A. Contracted temporary staff that are employed or contracted by a staffing agency or other intermediary entity on a temporary basis are not eligible for the HWB program. As part of the 2022-2023 enacted New York State Budget, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature allocated $1.2 billion in funding to the NYS Health Care Worker Bonus (HWB) program for the payment of bonuses for certain frontline health care workers as Part ZZ of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022. For information on the self-service functionality, please see the SFS vendor page found Homepage (ny.gov) or contact the SFS helpdesk at helpdesk@sfs.ny.gov or (518) 457-7717 or (855) 233-8363 toll-free. Cycle information published once available. incentives. As part of the 2022-2023 enacted New York State Budget, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature allocated $1.2 billion in funding to the NYS Health Care Worker Bonus (HWB) program for the payment of bonuses for certain frontline health care workers as Part ZZ of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022 . See SOS 367-w (5). The definition of each BLS job title is available on O*Net Online. A. A. Not be suspended or excluded from participation in the Medicaid program. Funding must be spent on a bonus for personnel currently employed by the Beneficiary or personnel hired by the Beneficiary prior to June 30, 2022, as well as federal and state taxes directly incurred from issuing bonus payments. The only vesting period that would present inconsistencies with seasonal changes in employment for residents would be Vesting Period 4. See the prior FAQ regarding the administrative flexibility offered for the Vesting Period 1 and 2 submissions. A qualified employer is defined in SOS 367-w(2)(b) and (c). within the Portal Registration and Claims Submission section. The qualified employer, not the contracted agencies, must submit bonus claims for staff that perform work for the qualified employer under such arrangements and that otherwise meet the eligibility criteria to be an eligible employee. Some school based hourly employees are still employed but are not required to be available to work during the summer months. A. Employees must have worked 20 hours on average during the 6-month vesting period. A: The 2018-19 and 2019 CFR periods were selected to avoid the potential influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on staffing patterns. *Please note, SED Providers will begin receiving payments on 1/13/2023. A. Educational institutions were included as an eligible employer because some employ health care and mental hygiene workers that are patient-facing and provide clinical care. Provider agenciesare expected to adhere to all applicable laws in effectuating these payments to eligible staff. Listen. Employers may be obligated to pay former employees who are eligible and vested while in their employment provided that their employment was not terminated within thirty (30) days of the Employer receipt of bonus funds. An employer who failed to withhold as required by a legally enforceable order against an employees wages, which includes the HWB payment should review the legally enforceable order for the remedies required if such withholding was not made. For school districts, charter schools, nonpublic schools, approved preschool programs for students with disabilities, BOCES, and private institutions of higher education, the healthcare worker bonus portal will open on October 1, 2022. If the health system has an MMIS ID that is linked to the other employers within the health system, the employee will be eligible even if they transition to another employer within the same health system. A. Once an erroneous submission is deleted, a corrected submission can be loaded into the HWB portal.p>, A. Child Care Workforce Bonus FAQ License-exempt non-relative homesdo not need to apply to receive a bonus. Employers should calculate accruals as hours worked when loading data in the HWB Portal. A. Contracted temporary staff that are employed or contracted by a staffing agency or other intermediary entity on a temporary basis are not eligible for the HWB program. An employee retirement is analogous to the employee quitting or leaving their employer. $530 / 48 = $11.04. Bonus payments will end October 31 . A. Once an Employer pays a bonus to an Employee under the HWB program, the Employer may not take back any portion of that bonus payment from the Employee, even if the claim is determined inappropriately paid and recovered by the Office of Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG). A: Yes, if funds were distributed to staff after July 8, 2021, when OPWDD first announced the American Rescue Plan funding initiatives, and those funds were specifically related to a vaccination incentive or for service during the COVID period. A. HWB Program payments are not subject to the health facility cash receipts assessments. A. See SOS 367-w(5)(d). Payments made on behalf of employees for the HWB program can be identified by the code HWB-HW Bonus. As reflected in the prior FAQ regarding the administrative flexibility offered for the Vesting Period 1 and 2 submissions, and in recognition that residents move to other residencies or attending roles around June/July, these employees would be considered eligible under Vesting Periods: 1, 2, 3 and 5. Employers who are enrolled to receive payments from eMedNY and meet all other requirements to be eligible for the HWB Program, should utilize their New York State Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) ID to register for the HWB Portal and claim for employees meeting the 20% Medicaid threshold, regardless of the status of their SFS ID. Specialty hiring. Deidre Henderson announced Tuesday that Utah's childcare workers may be eligible for the Youth and Early Care Workforce Bonus, a one-time $2,000 offer by the state as a gift for services [] Volunteers are not considered eligible employees under the statute. Multiple submissions for the employee by the same organization will result in system rejections for duplication. Q: How did the State calculate my payment(s) for the COVID Service and Vaccination Incentives? The fact that the Partners Health Plan payments to Providers are being made subsequent to those from other sources, due to additional CMS approval requirements, should not necessarily lengthen the timetable for distribution of funding to Direct Care staff and Family Care Providers. If you are not funded through the above agencies, you should utilize your Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS ID) number. under section Payment Issuance. Please note that the education and state operated facility portion of the bonus program will rollout in Fall. A. A. The HWB Program bonus should be recorded in Box 14 of the W-2. No. Can I submit employees eligible for a bonus for Vesting Period 1 at a later date?" Covid Service Bonus: Employees are eligible for this incentive/bonus pay if they worked a minimum of 90 days between the dates of March 17, 2020 through September 1, 2021 and are actively employed on the date of distribution. If the employer receives a bonus for an employee who is not eligible to receive a bonus or an amount in excess of what the employee is qualified for that bonus amount must be returned to the Department. A: The funds must be distributed as stipulated in the Attestation. A. Yes, governmental entities (i.e. A. A. A. A: Most Supplemental Payments will be effectuated via eMedNY. Please go to www.nysworkerbonus.com and begin reviewing important instructional information. When an employee passes away, the employment relationship ends similar to when the employee quits or leaves their employer. The employee vested, was employed at the time of the claim but the employee left before the employer receives the bonus payment. However, you should utilize your SFS ID to submit claims for eligible staff employed in programs that provide non-Medicaid services, or if you don't have a MMIS ID. A. Please allocate these individuals across programs as you would in the Consolidated Fiscal Report. A. OPWDD used each agencys costs associated with job position title code series 200 from the Consolidated Fiscal Report (CFR) for the 2018-19 and 2019 period and multiplied this amount by 20% plus any applicable agency mandated fringe benefit percentage to determine the applicable amounts for each agency. An employee attestation for each employee must be signed by the employee and maintained by the employer. Additionally, the employer share of FICA, calculated at 7.65% of the total bonus amount will appear separately under reason code "FTX". All program guidance included on this website is consistent for all eligible employer types. After you double check the information in the form, please send the signed form to OMHLocalAdminServices@omh.ny.gov for processing. Yes, employers will receive reimbursement for FICA and payroll taxes. opportunities. Please refer to the Qualified Employer Section of the Department of Health HWB Program website for additional information. Health care and mental hygiene workers that meet each of the following criteria will be eligible for the bonus: The employer must evaluate and attest to whether they and/or any of their employees meet the eligibility criteria. The Longevity and Retention distribution guidelines identify distribution formulas. The only exception is for Supplemental Payments for providers serving members in the FIDA-IDD Plan. No these employees would not be eligible under the "other healthcare support staff" titles as they work in a setting where patient care is not provided. Therefore, providers can aggregate payments received for the Longevity initiative from Medicaid (Waiver and State Plan) and Non-Medicaid sources and distribute them consistently to their employees without regard for the program they are supporting. Providers are Qualified Employers so long as the employer meets the 20% Medicaid threshold and all other eligibility requirements are met. Please see the Question "Are contract staff eligible for the bonus? This process will be launched soon, please check back for updates. An employee's annual base salary is based on the employee's gross wages during the vesting period, not the employee's rate of pay. Yes, governmental entities that are not State entities (i.e. Health & Safety in the Home, Workplace & Outdoors, Clinical Guidelines, Standards & Quality of Care, All Health Care Professionals & Patient Safety, Local Departments of Social Service (LDSS), New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, Part ZZ of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022, Self-Disclosure of Health Care Worker Bonus Payments | Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, https://health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/providers/hwb_program/#titles, Portal Registration and Claims Submission. A: To clarify, the Attestation never intended to limit a providers ability to offer bonuses to their staff based on the authority under which such payment was made to the agency. No. $1,000 for each staff member employed full-time, $500 for each staff member employed at least, but not fewer than, 20 hours per week, $250 for each staff member employed fewer than 20 hours per week, $500 for each staff member employed full-time, $250 for each staff member employed at least, but not fewer than, 20 hours per week, $125 for each staff member employed fewer than 20 hours per week. No. Be employed by an eligible provider during the entire "vesting period.". Remittance advice information will also be available on the HWB Portal. No. If the submission period is still open See Q: What happens if I recognize an error during the submission period?. A copy of the attestation is available on the HWB Program Portal. A. For example, if an employee made $60,000 in vesting period 1 and $63,000 in vesting period 2, the employee would be eligible for the bonus for both vesting periods because their gross wages were $123,000. Correction payments will be paid as a lump sum and included in qualified employers weekly Medicaid cycle payment from eMedNY. Education Sector employers may begin submitting claims in vesting period 2. Processing the form in the system should take about a week, and then you will receive your SFS user name and password by email. All recovery of inappropriately paid bonus payments shall be recovered from the employer and the employer does not have the right to recover any inappropriately paid bonus from the employee. Therefore, the employee attestation should indicate the MMIS ID where the employee primarily works. 2018, c. 9), which establishes reporting requirements for certain employers. A. Paragraph (2)(b) identifies employers eligible for the program, and are limited to: If the provider is subject to a certificate of need (CON) process OR the provider serves at least 20% Medicaid enrollees, they are not limited to this list defined in Paragraph(2)(b). A. If an Employee is salaried, Employer should divide their annual salary in half. 2011 Texas Workforce Commission Sitemap Policies Open Records Report fraud: 800-252-3642. See the Vesting Schedule. Then the employer should be able to successfully login and submit their eligible employees for bonus payment. the Provider must only distribute Workforce Stabilization initiative Supplemental Payments to those Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), including contracted staff serving as DSPs, and/or Family Care providers that are appropriately reported as Direct Care staff (job position title code 200 series) in the Agency's Consolidated Fiscal Report (CFR. If an Employer pays a bonus under the HWB program, and then attempts to take back any portion of the bonus payment from the Employee, the Employee should contact the New York State Department of Labor at (888) 469-7365. An employer must furnish such records upon request to the department, the Office of Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG), the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the deputy attorney general for Medicaid Fraud. A. If an employee is hourly, Employer should use moment in time calculation, for example, employer should calculate salaried earned across all pay periods that occurred during a vesting period. Employers must validate that employee(s) met all other qualifying criteria during the respective vesting period. A. A. The direct service worker who provided services to participants from April 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022 must receive at least $250 of this $300 bonus payment paid to the provider. Guidance Counselor as listed in the Consolidated Fiscal Report (CFR) is not an eligible title. Employers must determine whether their organization complies with this requirement as part of the employer attestation required for HWB claim submission. The Department is also committed to hosting a series of informational webinars to review the HWB Program with interested parties. If you think you meet the criteria AND you worked for an entire vesting period, you may be entitled to a HWB bonus payment. A. If you believe your employer made a mistake in their determination of your eligibility, and the period for submitting claims is still open, please attempt to resolve the matter with your employer. A qualified employee who works for a qualified employer is eligible for the bonus regardless of state residency. Where this is the case, they may submit for claims when vesting period 3 opens on April 1st, 2023. The titles under section 367-w(2)(a)(ii) only apply to employers subject to the reporting requirements identified in the Consolidated Fiscal Report (CFR). A. Employers must download a copy of the HWB Employee Attestation Form, which is also available on the HWB Program Portal. Agencies qualify for the supplemental payments if they delivered Home and Community-Based Waiver services between March 17, 2020 and September 1, 2021. However, we strongly encourage Providers, with an FIDA-IDD affiliation, to disburse all Workforce Stabilization funds to employees on the same timetable, regardless of funding source, once the payments from Partners Health Plan are received. Please see the Employee Separation section of the FAQs for more information. 1. Bonuses will be paid to the employer on behalf of their qualified employees as part of their weekly Medicaid payment from eMedNY. No. Overpayments must be returned to OMIG. The HWB Program provision allows for the payment of bonuses to "recruit, retain, and reward health care and mental hygiene workers" meeting certain eligibility requirements. As such, you should first contact your employer and ask why you were not submitted for the bonus. Usually, retention bonuses are sizable amounts of money, ranging from 10% to 25% of an employee's base pay. Although employees may be eligible for vesting periods worked in the past (e.g. To grow New York's healthcare workforce by 20 percent over the next 5 years, Governor Hochul will make a $10 billion, multi-year investment in healthcare, including more than $4 billion to support wages and bonuses for healthcare workers. A. Employers should exclude overtime hours when calculating the average weekly hours (however employers should include weekend or holiday hours worked, regardless of the rate of pay, so long as the total hours worked remains under overtime thresholds, see 12 NYCRR 142-2.2). A. A. A. The bonus claim process requires all qualified employees to sign an attestation that confirms their wages from all sources in connection with their eligibility for the workforce bonus. A. This process will allow employers to amend previous submissions and receive an additional payment for the underpaid portion of the previous submitted claim. A. Yes. If you do not receive an email within 7 business days, please check your junk folder, and if it is not there please contact B1184Requests@oasas.ny.gov for a status update. No. You can verify your MMIS is active by calling the eMedNY Call Center at (800) 343-9000. After you double check the information in the form, please send the signed form to the OASAS mailbox B1184Requests@oasas.ny.gov for processing. Employers will be able to submit claims for Vesting Period 1 during Vesting Period 2. The word "patient" describes a person receiving clinical or behavioral health care from a health care provider. As this FAQ is an interim review of the statute, it is likely to change, potentially significantly, when DHCS issues official guidance. A. To determine how the bonus payment may affect your specific situation, please consult with a tax professional. To start, multiply the pay rate by the total hours worked. If you cannot reach a resolution with your employer, and wish to file an allegation, you will be required to complete a form that includes (1) your title, (2) your period of employment and average hours worked during the applicable vesting period, (3) your earnings excluding bonuses and overtime, and other pertinent information. A. For information on the self-service functionality, please see the SFS vendor page found at: https://www.sfs.ny.gov/index.php/vendors or contact the SFS helpdesk at helpdesk@sfs.ny.gov or (518) 457-7717 or (855) 233-8363 toll-free. A: Yes, staff who meet the vaccination criteria as of the January 14, 2022 date will be eligible to receive the vaccination payment if they meet all other criteria. If you are seeking to claim bonuses for eligible staff employed in programs that provide Medicaid services funded by: the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office for the Aging, and Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) you should utilize your Medicaid Management Information System number (MMIS ID) to submit claims for Medicaid services. A. DOH and OMIG are developing procedures for employers to follow if they identify an overpayment. No, if the employee has an eligible title and meets all other statutory requirements, they are eligible. This is required for your agency to access SFS and receive payments. Employers must submit claims for bonus payments within 30-days after the completion of each vesting period as defined by the schedule published by the Department. This table will be updated as information becomes available. However, if employee A was not required to be available during July and August but was entitled to unemployment compensation, that employee would not be entitled to the bonus during that 6-month vesting period because they were not continuously employed. Individuals with less than 6 months of experience as of July 1, 2022 will be eligible for payment in a later phase. See response to question Q. I am an employer with employees who support multiple MMIS ID's across our organization, how should I report this employee in the HWB Portal? 48 x $10 + $50 = $530. Bonuses as required by Part ZZ of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022 can only be paid to employees after claims are received, reviewed and payment is received by the employer through eMedNY or SFS. All Employers should document and retain information regarding the reason for any late submission for audits and investigation purposes relating to the submission of claims for the HWB Program. You will note that the COVID Service and Vaccination Incentive distribution guidelines identify minimum distribution payments. First, please review these Q&A and the HWB webpage to see if you may be an eligible Employee. The Department is aware of several technical issues during the initial submission periods for Vesting Periods 1 and 2 that may have impeded the ability of certain Qualified Employers to submit claims. For the first vesting period, the 30-day claim filing deadline begins on the date the vesting schedule is published. A. Yes, staff who meet the vaccination criteria as of the January 14, 2022 date will be eligible to receive the vaccination payment if they meet all other criteria. What is this program? A. A. The HWB Program Portal will be updated regularly with program updates and/or the most up to date information for employers. Support coordination agencies providing services on or after April 1, 2021 shall receive bonus payments of $150 per month for each support coordinator that worked with participants for that month. See "Q. Yes, if funds were distributed to staff after July 8, 2021, when OPWDD first announced the American Rescue Plan funding initiatives, and those funds were specifically related to a vaccination incentive or for service during the COVID period. If the role served by the employee in an educational setting is consistent with the definition of the job title, the employee may be eligible assuming all other requirements are met. A. We offer a variety of programs and incentives to support workers while meeting employers' needs for a nimble and skilled workforce. For example, if an employee used 40 hours of vacation accruals during a week, those 40 hours would count towards their average weekly hours.

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