The Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act would establish a federal grant program to provide emergency compensation to essential health care workers during declared emergencies or disasters. The bill allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to hospitals, health care facilities, and home health agencies, which would use the funds to pay eligible workers an additional $13 per hour in hazardous duty pay, capped at $25,000 annually per worker. Eligible workers include doctors, nurses, direct care workers, medical technologists, public health workers, orderlies, and janitorial or custodial staff in health care settings whose work cannot be performed remotely. Grant funds can also be used for safety measures such as alternative transportation, personal protective equipment, and other protections to shield workers from hazards. The bill does not specify a total funding amount, instead authorizing whatever funds are deemed necessary to carry out the program.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.