Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waiver providers have been waiting for the distribution of their workforce stipend bonuses.

The workforce stability stipends will be distributed to qualifying direct service staff of Home and Community Support Services (HCSS) (nurses and aides), Respite, Service Coordinators, Community Integration Counseling (CIC), Independent Living Skills Training (ILST), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Peer Mentoring (NHTD only), Substance Abuse (TBI only), and Structured Day Program (SDP) staff who provide(d) NHTD and TBI services during the Public Health Emergency (PHE).

The stipend will be paid to all waiver service providers employing the staff indicated above in the amount of $3,000 (if hired prior to April 1, 2021) or $2,500 (if hired on or after April 1, 2021) to each direct service staff person the provider hires/hired and maintains/maintained for 30 days or more throughout the PHE. An additional $500 is to be paid for each employee fully vaccinated.

This is applicable only to those providers that applied for and were approved for the stipend.

An additional stipend will be made to staff who were fully vaccinated to support a sufficient workforce to maintain services throughout the PHE in the amount of $500. These are retroactive one-time payments based on each provider's approved disbursement plan(s).

The stipends will be automatically paid to approved providers’ Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) Provider ID(s) in eMedNY cycle 2387, with a check release date of June 7, 2023.

For specific billing questions, contact eMedNY/General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) directly at 1-800-343-9000.

A copy of the approved Appendix K Application authorizing the stipends can be found here.

Any questions regarding the NHTD Waiver may be submitted to nhtdwaiver@health.ny.gov, and TBI Waiver questions may be submitted to tbi@health.ny.gov.

Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871