Direct Care Worker One-Time Bonus and ICF-IID AND HCBS Wage Increase Initiatives

Direct Care Worker One-Time Bonus

The NC Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 directed Medicaid to provide one-time bonuses of up to $2,000 to eligible direct care workers (DCWs) and support staff. NC Medicaid appreciates the engagement of all the providers who submitted information to participate in the Direct Care Worker One-Time Bonus initiative and have now paid the bonuses to their eligible direct care workers.

To date, NC Medicaid has distributed to 2,503 providers for payment of bonuses to 62,113 direct care workers and support staff. Distribution of bonus payments to providers began in early March, and NC Medicaid continues to work with providers to reconcile a small number of submissions that were submitted on time but have not yet been validated. The most up-to-date information can be found in SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #241.

The links below will direct employees and providers to NC Medicaid's responses to frequently asked questions.

FAQs for Direct Care Workers

FAQs for Providers

Direct Care Worker ICF-IID Wage Increase

The Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 (S.L. 2021-180) approved a Medicaid budget provision to implement the Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IID) direct care worker wage increases. To meet the administrative and reporting requirements of that Act, NC Medicaid required eligible Medicaid enrolled providers to submit some standard information. The details of provider and worker eligibility and the process for the required provider submissions are outlined in SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #225.

Direct Care Worker HCBS Wage Increase

The Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 (S.L. 2021-180) approved a Medicaid budget provision to implement provider rate increases to support home- and community-based (HCBS) direct care workers wage increases. NC Medicaid extended through June 30, 2022, at either current or revised levels, several COVID-19 temporary provider rate increases that are in effect in March 2022. These extended temporary increases are intended to continue helping providers with COVID-19 costs and support providers in increasing direct care worker (DCW) wages toward a minimum of $15 per hour. The most up-to-date information can be found in SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #239.

SPECIAL COVID-19 BULLETINS Related to the DCW One-Time Bonus and Wage Increase

Resource Documents

Direct care workers and support staff should contact their employers with any questions. 

This page was last modified on 06/06/2022