This week, Maine's Department of Health and Human Services is distributing $58 million in payments to home and community-based service providers to fund bonuses for roughly 20,000 direct support workers.
It's the first half of a total of $116 million that will be distributed by the end of February. The funds are available through the American Rescue Plan Act and are intended to address COVID-related staff shortages.
Qualified agencies must pay bonuses directly to workers by the end of June. The Department says that agencies will determine individual bonus amounts, which are subject to federal and state audits.
