$500 pandemic bonus checks are in the mail for California in-home caregivers

The California Department of Social Services has begun mailing $500 bonus checks to more than 500,000 caregivers in the state.

“Eligible (in-home supportive services) providers began receiving their payments on January 20, 2022,” said department spokesman Jason Montiel in an email. “It will take about a week to distribute them all.”

Montiel said that providers who receive their payments through direct deposit will receive the bonus within two to three business days of issuance, while those who get their checks mailed will have to wait five to seven business days due to mail time.

In order to be eligible for the payment, a caregiver must have worked at least two months between March 2020 and March 2021. Both in-home caregivers and those who provide Medi-Cal home and community-based services, such as Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, are eligible.

The move comes as California faces a shortage of caregivers for the disabled and elderly.

The Department of Social Services is expected to pay out more than $280 million in total to caregivers, with assistance from the federal government.

“These payments are meant to recognize (in-home supportive service) providers for their efforts to keep IHSS recipients safely in their own homes during the pandemic and are in alignment with the Department’s investment to increase IHSS provider retention and workforce development,” Montiel previously told The Bee.

Montiel said there are no further planned bonus payments.

This story was originally published January 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.