Healthcare workers were promised bonuses as part of the 2022-23 state budget.
What’s the status of those bonuses, and when will New York’s healthcare workers see that money in their bank accounts?
More: What did Gov. Hochul say was in FY 2023 New York State budget?
Speaker Heastie insists there’s ‘nothing amiss’ in rollout of healthcare bonuses
News10 NBC’s Jennifer Lewke asked Speaker of the NYS Assembly Carl Heastie that very question during his recent trip to Rochester.
“Do you have any update on when those healthcare workers might see that money?” asked Lewke.
“Well, first off…the workers absolutely deserve this bonus as we wouldn’t have been able to get through the crisis without them but I think it’s just more of a logistics thing…it’s just a logistical, bureaucratic way of putting things together to put out the applications for the workers but there’s nothing amiss at all,” Speaker Heastie told News10 NBC.
Notably, those who work in healthcare settings as medical residents, cleaners or food service workers aren’t listed as being eligible for the bonus. The state could add those workers to the list at any time.
When asked if expanding the eligibility list might be considered, Speaker Heastie said, “I believe they should be thanked as well.”
He acknowledged that, sometimes, people are inadvertently left out of provisions included in the budget.
More: NYS Budget: Two proposed health care programs left out of finalized $220B budget
