GREENSBORO, N.C. — There was a post a few months back claiming FEMA was going to give workers hazard pay for going to work during COVID. WFMY proved it was a false claim simply by going to the source. On the FEMA website was a MYTHS section. The FEMA hazard pay was right there. The Federal government was not paying money out that way.
That doesn’t mean other employers are not. A county government in Indiana is paying hazard pay. St. Joseph's County first diverted leaf pick-up money to give sheriff's department workers hazard pay. This week, the county expanded that pay and approved about $60,000 in hazard pay to 13 different county departments including the highway department and coroner's office. The payouts come in three tiers.
"The tier-one employees will get $1,500 each, tier two will get $900 and tier three will get $600,” said Diana Hess, St. Joseph County Council President Pro-Tempore. This hazard pay is a one-time payment in this county.
Now the question is, will we be seeing more of this? I talked to a local employment attorney about COVID pay a few weeks ago.
“As far as I know there is no such thing as COVID pay. However, employers can offer an incentive for employees who are going into where there is COVID, but there is no requirement to do so,” said Nicole Patino from the Law Offices of Fred T. Hamlet.
Right now the U.S. Department of Labor has this definition for hazard pay:
“Work duty that causes extreme physical discomfort and distress which is not adequately alleviated by protective devices is deemed to impose a physical hardship”.
At this point, COVID is not included.