Louisiana began taking applications Wednesday for its $250 hazard pay checks for frontline workers during the pandemic.
The checks will go out to eligible workers such as health care workers, bus drivers, cashiers, and several others.
Applications opened at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15, and will last through October 31st.
Act 12 of the 2020 First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature provides for a one-time rebate for eligible workers earning $50,000 per year or less, who spent at least 200 hours responding to or mitigating the COVID-19 crisis from March 22, 2020, through May 14, 2020.
The Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) will accept applications from July 15 through Oct. 31 from workers employed in one of the following essential critical infrastructure jobs on or after March 11, 2020:
1. Nurses, assistants, aides, medical residents, pharmacy staff, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, and workers providing direct patient care in inpatient and outpatient dialysis facilities.
2. Housekeeping, laundry services, food services, and waste management personnel in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
3. Long-term care facility personnel, outpatient care workers, home care workers, personal assistance providers, home health providers, home delivered meal providers, childcare service providers.
4. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, fire and rescue personnel, law enforcement personnel, public health epidemiologists.
5. Bus drivers; retail fuel center personnel; sanitation personnel; residential, commercial, and industrial solid waste and hazardous waste removal personnel; storage and disposal personnel.
6. Grocery store, convenience store, and food assistance program personnel.
7. Mortuary service providers.
8. Veterinary service staff.
LDR will accept applications online or on a downloadable printed form. However, due to limited funding for the rebate program, eligible workers are encouraged to apply as soon as possible using the online application portal at FrontlineWorkers.la.gov beginning Wednesday, July 15.
A demonstration from LDR on how to apply for the rebate can be found in the wheel lead above.
Hazard pay will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 200,000 people who are eligible.
