The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has extended the registration deadline for the health care worker retention bonuses. The deadline, originally December 21, 2022, has now been pushed back two days to December 23.

Retention bonuses of up to $1,000 are available to employees of hospitals, clinics that are 1206(l)s and affiliated with a hospital, or skilled nursing facilities and physicians who provided patient care in those facilities during the eligibility period, which ran from July 30 to October 28, 2022.

DHCS has created a two-step process to receive a retention bonus.

Step 1: Register by December 23

In the first step, qualifying independent/solo physicians will need to register with DHCS. If you are a physician employed by a medical group or other eligible health care facility, your employer is required to apply on your behalf; therefore, you should not register/apply on your own. Contact your employer for more information.

Step 2: Apply by December 30

Once you have successfully registered, you will also need to submit an application.

For more details on the process and what information is required, click here.  

DHCS anticipates issuing payments in January 2023. 

Questions?

The California Medical Association (CMA) recently cohosted a webinar with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to provide physicians and physician groups with an overview of the Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 Worker Retention Payments. The free one-hour webinar is available on-demand.

During the webinar, DHCS discusses who is eligible for the bonus payment and provides an overview of the registration and application processes.