DOH Updates Health Care Worker Bonus FAQs
The Department of Health (DOH) has added and updated some Health Care Worker Bonus (HWB) Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), which serve as a primary source of guidance for the program. The most recent document is dated Sept. 23rd and, along with several other changes, adds a new section of questions titled “Payment Issuance.” Bonus payments for claims related to the first vesting period are scheduled to be made in Medicaid payment cycle 2352 (check release date of Oct. 5th). Payments for employers claiming through the Statewide Financial System (SFS) are due on Oct. 5th as well.
DOH is still developing a process for providers to return funds that represent overpayments and invites claims-related questions to be submitted to NYSWorkersBonus@health.ny.gov. The bonus dollars will be identified on the Medicaid remit as “HWB” with a separate amount representing the employer’s share of Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes identified as “FTX.” A previous FAQ that had indicated that employers would be reimbursed “FICA and payroll taxes” has been amended to indicate that only FICA would be reimbursed. The remittance advice, along with a report indicating any submitted employee whose bonus amount was reduced or rejected during processing, along with a reason for the change, should be accessible through the HWB Portal.
The FAQs also provide a new link to a detailed description of work activities related to eligible Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job titles, which may offer members another tool to gauge employee eligibility as we head into the second claiming period. The claiming period associated with the six-month vesting period covering April 1st through Sept. 30, 2022 is the full calendar month of October, with the portal scheduled to open on Oct. 1st and claims due no later than Oct. 31, 2022.
While we are pleased to see some additional information added to the HWB site, we continue to pursue answers to remaining open questions. We will keep members apprised of any further developments. The new and updated FAQs are copied below for your convenience.
NEW Payment Issuance FAQs
Q. I am a qualified employer. How will I be issued the bonus payments?
A. Medicaid Employers (MMIS ID): Bonuses will be paid as a lump sum and included in qualified employer’s weekly Medicaid cycle payment from eMedNY. The bonus payment due to eligible employees will appear under reason code “HWB”.
Additionally, the employer share of FICA, calculated at 7.65% of the total bonus amount will appear separately under reason code “FTX”.
Non-Medicaid Employers (SFS Vendor ID): Bonuses will be paid to the employer via the State Financial System.
Q. I am a qualified employer. May I keep any portion of the bonus payment?
A. No. A qualified employer shall not keep any portion of the bonus amount. Please note that the FICA portion is not due to the employee but must be remitted on behalf of the employee.
Q. Will employers be notified when payments will be made out of SFS and eMedNY and will a remittance be provided?
A. The HWB Portal will notify employers when payment information is available and offer an employee-level remittance for employers via the email employers registered to sign in to the HWB portal. A reason will be provided for any submitted employee whose bonus amount was reduced or rejected during processing.
Remittance advice information will also be available on the HWB Portal.
Q. I’m an eligible Employer, I submitted for vesting period one, when should I receive payment?
A. If you submitted for vesting period one, please see the table below for payment information. This table will be updated as information becomes available. (Payments to employers for Submission Period One which ran from Aug 3 through Sep 2, 2022 are expected to be released on Oct. 5th in Medicaid Cycle 2352 or through the State Financial System)
|
Submission Period |
MMIS Submission |
SFS Submission |
|
One (8/03/2022 - 9/02-2022) |
eMedNY Cycle 2352 |
10/5/2022 |
Q. I am an employer. If I provided a bonus to my eligible employees prior to receipt of payment on the bonus claim, does this satisfy the requirement to pay a bonus under the HWB program?
A. No. An employer must identify eligible employees, submit a claim and receive payment from the HWB payment first. 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.
Q. What should I do if I notice or suspect a mistake in an employee’s bonus amount?
A. DOH and OMIG are developing procedures for employers to follow if they identify an overpayment. Please continue to check the FAQ for an update to this Q&A. Please continue to submit claims related inquiries to: NYSWorkersBonus@health.ny.gov
Q. In the event that I am unable to issue payment to a former employee, or later determine a submitted employee to be ineligible, how do I return an overpayment of HWB bonus to the State?
A. DOH and OMIG are developing procedures for employers to follow if they identify an overpayment. Please continue to check the FAQ for an update to this Q&A. Please continue to submit claims related inquiries to: NYSWorkersBonus@health.ny.gov
OTHER UPDATED FAQs
Q. Is there a definition for each job title?
A. The majority of the job titles are pulled directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The definition of each BLS job title is available on O*Net Online.
The Mental Hygiene titles listed in the statute at SOS § 367-w(2)(a)(ii) are taken from the title series in the Consolidated Fiscal Reporting and Claiming Manual (CFR), which includes additional descriptions of the referenced titles. The relevant description for titles under the CFR can be found here in Appendix R.
Q. Will the state reimburse employer costs incurred for releasing HWB bonus payments such as FICA and payroll taxes?
A. Yes, employers will receive reimbursement for FICA.
OTHER NEW FAQs
Q. Should Governmental entities, that meet the definition of qualified employers, but are not State entities submit bonus claims in the portal for their eligible employees?
A. Yes, governmental entities (i.e. County nursing homes), who meet the definition of qualified employers, but are not State entities and who do not employ qualified State employees should submit claims in the portal for their eligible employees.
Q. Is the data I submit to the HWB Portal kept secure?
A. Yes. The HWB portal is compliant with New York State and Federal Security Standards. Data submitted to the HWB portal will be kept within a secure environment for up to seven (7) years. After the retention period, the Department of Health will be required to destroy the data and obtain a Certificate of Destruction from an IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) service provider ensuring the data has been destroyed in compliance with all applicable laws and industry standards.
Q. Who is responsible to claim for a Resident that vested during vesting period 1, but graduated in June/July 2022 and is no longer employed by the Employer they were with during vesting period 1?
A. The Qualified Employer that employed the Resident during vesting period 1 is responsible for claiming and paying the bonus. Employers will be able to submit claims for Vesting Period 1 during Vesting Period 2.
Please see “Q. I am a qualified employer who is unable to complete my submission of qualified employees in the HWB Portal for Vesting Period 1 by September 2, 2022. Can I submit employees eligible for a bonus for Vesting Period 1 at a later date?” for more details.
LeadingAge NY Contacts: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, or Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org; both reachable at 518-867-8383.