Essential workers in Connecticut eligible for up to $1,000 for working during pandemic

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A program was established by the Connecticut legislature to provide financial relief to essential workers who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Essential workers may be eligible for up to a $1,000 payment from the Premium Pay Program, according to a report from WFSB.

The program is a fund approved by the Connecticut General Assembly that has made $30 million in assistance available to support the critical workforce that helped keep the state operational during the pandemic.

The Connecticut comptroller’s office said it will oversee the program with the benefits to be paid out in early 2023.

Workers who can answer “yes” to the questions below are eligible to apply for the program:

• I was employed as an essential worker in Connecticut between March 10, 2020 and May 7, 2022

• I was not able to work from home

• I was not employed by a federal, state or municipal government agency

• I earned $149,999 or less

The maximum payment is $1,000 for those who made less than $100,000 a year. It’s $800 if the worker earned between $100,000 and $109,999, and $600 for those who earned between $110,000 and $119,999. Those who worked part-time could be eligible for $500.

The amount decreases depending on the worker’s earnings.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed jobs such as grocery store workers, nursing home workers and other health care provider jobs as essential.

Police officers and firefighters, however, are not eligible because they are government employees.

Some other states, including Massachusetts, have put a similar program in place.

To learn more, visit the website here.

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