Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that New York State has paid over $2 billion in bonuses to more than 800,000 health care workers statewide through the Health Care Worker Bonus Program.  The program was launched by Governor Hochul in 2022 and provided bonuses of up to $3,000 for eligible health care workers across New York.

“Health care workers deliver for New Yorkers every day – and that’s why we’re delivering for them,” Governor Hochul said.  “Our powerful investments are putting money back in workers’ pockets and helping to grow our health care workforce to provide the highest quality care for New Yorkers.”

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Health care workers are the backbone of our health care infrastructure, and they are the frontline workers who go above and beyond to provide hands-on care and medical services.  Through Gov. Hochul’s Health Care Worker Bonus Program we acknowledge our health care workers’ unwavering dedication to the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers.”

New York’s Health Care Worker Bonus Program issued payments to workers who provide hands-on and patient-facing health care services.  Workers receiving payments through this program must have an annualized base salary (excluding any bonuses or overtime pay) of $125,000 or less and can be full-time or part-time.  Bonuses payments were determined by specific "vesting periods," or the number of hours worked during a consecutive six-month period between October 1, 2021, through March 31, 2024.  Qualified employees received up to a maximum of $3,000 in total bonus payments over two vesting periods.  More information on the program be seen here.  By putting more money in the pockets of working New Yorkers, Governor Hochul is continuing her ongoing efforts to address the cost of living – including recent announcements of supplemental child tax credit payments and increased access to child care assistance for working families.

Expanding Access to Child Tax Credit Payments

Governor Hochul recently announced New York State is delivering approximately $350 million in supplemental payments to low- and moderate-income families statewide through the Empire State Child Credit program.  More than 1 million families will receive this financial assistance without any need to apply, as each eligible family will receive a direct payment of up to $330 per child.  The State has already begun sending checks to eligible taxpayers, with all checks expected to be sent by the end of August.  The Empire State Child Credit is a refundable tax credit for income-qualified New Yorkers with children.  In 2023, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature expanded the Empire State Child Credit to include children under four, benefitting an estimated 600,000 additional children per year.  Earlier this year, the more than 1 million families eligible for the Empire State Child Credit began to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits based on their 2023 tax filings.

Delivering Financial Relief to Working New Yorkers

Governor Hochul and the State Legislature have delivered an unprecedented level of financial support to low- and moderate-income New Yorkers over the last two years.  More than $2.6 billion has been provided through supplemental payment and savings programs to millions of New York taxpayers since 2022.  This includes the 2022 homeowner tax rebate credit, the 2022 supplemental Earned Income Tax Credit and Empire State Child Credit payments, the 2022 gas tax suspension, the 2023 expansion of the Empire State Child Credit, and the latest round of Empire State Child Credit supplemental payments announced today.

Helping More Working Families Pay for Child Care

Governor Hochul recently launched ny.gov/childcare – a digital portal to help make free or low-cost child care more accessible to eligible families statewide through New York State’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).  This new initiative follows an historic $1.8 billion state and federal investment in CCAP secured by Governor Hochul in the FY25 Enacted Budget.  CCAP covers more than 90 percent of market rate child care costs for most eligible families, with most families of four paying no more than $15 per week for child care.  The Governor previously worked with the Legislature to overhaul the child care system and make historic, one-of-a-kind investments, including a four-year, $7 billion commitment to improving the child care assistance program; expanding income eligibility for child care assistance to more than half of young children in New York; increasing state reimbursement rates to providers to expand the number of programs from which families can choose; investing $50 million to establish a child care capital program; investing $343 million to stabilize programs at risk of closure and support the child care workforce; and investing $15.6 million to expand child care to all SUNY and CUNY campuses.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “I'm proud that the state has distributed funds to our dedicated health care heroes on the front line and recognizes the efforts of health professionals by providing resources to help manage the cost of living in New York.  New York must continue investing in our healthcare workforce for a healthier state.”

Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “The Health Care Worker Bonus Program is an important way for New York to help alleviate its current healthcare workforce shortage.  I thank Governor Hochul for being a champion for NY’s healthcare workforce.  Healthcare workers are there for us during life’s most vulnerable moments, and we need to be there for them.”