Frontline Workers’ Pay Update
During the 2022 legislative session, the Accra Public Affairs team engaged in several efforts to ensure that PCAs and DSPs would be included in Frontline Worker Pay.
By David Hancox
On April 29, 2022, Governor Walz signed the Frontline Worker Payments into law, designating that $500 million dollars would be evenly divided among qualifying healthcare professionals in Minnesota.
This initiative was intended to thank individuals who worked at the forefront of the COVID-19 emergency.
The final numbers of approved or denied applications, the payment amount, and payment timeline have been announced!
According to a press release from the office of Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, “1,025,655 Minnesota frontline workers will receive $487.45 to recognize their work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. State officials will begin sending payments Wednesday, October 5, and will continue to process payment information through the fall.”
If you have questions or would like to read more information about Frontline Worker Pay, visit the MN Department of Labor and Industry’s dedicated online toolkit.
During the 2022 legislative session, the Accra Public Affairs team engaged in several efforts to ensure that PCAs and DSPs (a group made up of nearly 66,000 individuals) would be included in Frontline Worker Pay.
Our PA team’s advocacy included:
- Directly communicating with key legislative leaders and members of the Governor’s staff to encourage the inclusion of PCAs and DSPs in the frontline bonus pay.
- Joining with our community partners (MN Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, MN First Provider Alliance, MN Home Care Association) in collective advocacy to encourage the inclusion of PCA and DSPs in the frontline worker pay bonus.
- Corresponding with the individual legislative members of the joint Minnesota House and Senate workgroup tasked with identifying recipients and bonus amount.
I’m glad that these instrumental care providers, PCAs and DSPs, were included in the Hero Pay bonus and I’m proud to see the Accra PA team’s work positively impact the communities and individuals we serve.
10/17/22 Update: within two weeks of the payment amount announcement, nearly one million payments have been successfully sent to frontline workers. Those whose payment attempts were not successful due to “erroneous payment information in their application” will have an opportunity to correct it before a second payment attempt is made.