During the first 18 months of the pandemic, 17 states implemented at least one hazard pay policy. At the same time, four states developed new paid sick leave policies to support direct care workers. These are some of the findings of a new study from PHI. Elsewhere, the study reports:
- Among the 17 states that implemented hazard pay, six established a one-time bonus payment (ranging from $250 to over $2,200), and 11 created hourly wage increases or weekly bonuses, ranging from $2 to $5 and $100 to $500, respectively.
- Many of these hourly or weekly increases were only in place for three months or less.
- Of 14 states that already had an existing paid sick leave policy prior to the pandemic, four instituted amendments or established supplementary policies.
- Among states that amended their paid sick leave policies or added new ones, the timelines varied widely. The earliest ones were implemented on March 1, 2020, and the latest ones were started on July 1, 2021.
- Only 10 states implemented both hazard pay and paid sick leave policies.
According to Stephen McCall, data and policy analyst at PHI and study co-author, “Paid sick leave can support the health of direct care workers and ensure they have the time to recover from illness to deliver quality care safely, yet paid sick leave coverage across states remains limited, and is completely absent at the federal level.”
