Funding For Essential Workers Who Keep America Fed
Farm and meatpacking plant workers will be able to receive money through a new Farm and Food Workers Relief grant program, announced last fall.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says grocery workers also will be eligible for some of the cash.
The Americans who’ll qualify for the payments all who work in food-related industries, where sheltering in place or working from home during the pandemic has not been possible.
State agencies, nonprofits and tribal entities have until Feb. 8 to apply to the government for the funds, which those groups will receive in June. Workers will apply to those groups to receive their payments.
Nearly 670000 Frontline Workers In Minnesota To Get $750 Pandemic Bonus
May 5, 2022 / 1:46 PM / MoneyWatch
Hundreds of thousands of first responders, medical workers, meatpackers and grocery clerks in Minnesota are in line for a $750 bonus check for remaining on the job as the COVID-19 pandemic raged.
Gov. Tim Walz on Friday signed into law a bill that allocates a total of $500 million to cover the one-time payments for an estimated 667,000 frontline workers, who state officials said can expect checks in 10 to 12 weeks. It also provides $2.7 billion to replenish Minnesota’s unemployment trust fund.
The bonus payments follow months of debate, with the additional “hero pay” checks first proposed in Minnesota last July.
“That equals a month’s rent. That equals groceries. That’s money that can be put back into their savings accounts. So it is important, and I do thank you over and over again for coming together with this,” said Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, according to CBS Minnesota.
Stepped out of my sons volleyball game to sign this important bill the minute we got it passed. – $500 million in direct payments to frontline workers.- $2.7 billion in tax relief for small businesses.Signed. Couldnt ask for a better Friday night.
Governor Tim Walz
Nearly 1 million Americans have died of COVID-19, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
My Husband Has No Idea I Deceive Him & Thinks I Get Him Starbucks Each Morning
Organizations originally had until February 8 to apply to distribute the funds, with stimulus checks worth up to $600 expected to be issued to workers later this year.
The USDA announced a deadline extension in January, which gives the entities until March 10, 2022 to apply.
Read our stimulus checks live blog for the latest updates on Covid-19 relief…
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Stimulus Check: New Checks To Lighten Up Farmers
A provision of $700 million has been sanctioned for the new Stimulus Checks. The money will be dispatched to the eligible farmworkers and grocery workers. An amount of $600 will be paid to everyone impacted by the pandemic. Farmers and grocery shop workers had a tough time during the pandemic. They were forced to take leaves that were unpaid.
A data has been provided by the United Food & Commercial Workers Union. It states that almost 22000 laborers lost their lives due to covid infections. The Stimulus Checks aim at providing the workers with monetary relief.
Hawaii: $300 Rebate Payments
In June, Hawaiis legislature approved sending a tax rebate to every taxpayer Taxpayers earning less than $100,000 per year will receive $300, and those earning more than $100,000 per year will receive $100. Dependents are eligible for the rebate, too.
Taxpayers who filed their 2021 state income tax returns by July 31, 2022 can expect to receive their returns in September or October. For residents filing their 2021 return between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, you can expect your payment up to 12 weeks after filing.
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Stimulus Check Deadline Approaching
So, for that matter, can other agencies within the federal government. In fact, the deadline for one such stimulus check is fast approaching. For state agencies and nonprofits, though individuals cant directly apply for this particular payment.
This one is a $600 check as part of the Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant Program. Per the US Agriculture Department, Entities receiving awards will then distribute relief payments to frontline farmworkers and meatpacking workers who incurred expenses preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USDA strongly encourages small organizations to partner together or to partner with national organizations in submitting applications to ensure this support has the broadest reach and distribution possible to Americas farm and food workers.
Of the total pot of money, $20 million is also going toward a grant or grants for grocery store workers. And February 8, 2022, is the date that participating agencies need to circle on their calendar.
New Covid Stimulus Checks Are Coming In 2022 To Some Us Workers
Almost two years after the start of the pandemic, some of the hardest-hit workers in essential industries are in line for some new federal help for the expenses they took on as they worked through the crisis.
Many had to dip into their own pockets to pay for employment essentials, including protective equipment and child care. Now, the government is getting ready to provide up to $700 million in financial relief essentially a new type of stimulus check. Applications will be accepted soon.
Those who qualify will have the chance to receive money they can use to cover household expenses or pay down debt.
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Where Will The Funds Go
Unlike the federal stimulus checks, these funds wont be directly deposited by the federal government into peoples bank accounts.
The funds will be given to states and non-profit assistance programs that apply for participation and show the ability to distribute them effectively.
It means individuals won’t be able to apply for the cash themselves.
The USDA has yet to give details on eligibility requirements or methods of distribution.
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged the immense pressure faced by industry workers during the pandemic.
They deserve recognition for their resilience and financial support for their efforts,” Mr Vilsack said while announcing the program.
$600 Stimulus Checks Just Announced
After the third and latest stimulus check went out in March, there hasn’t been much talk about any other direct payments coming out, unless you have children and qualify for a monthly payment as part of the Federal Child Tax Credit. However, it’s just been revealed that millions of specific types of workers will now be eligible for a one-time $600 check.
The announcement was made by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who explained that as part of a $700 million program aimed at helping those who make up the agriculture industry, millions of $600 checks will be distributed to grocery workers, farmworkers and those who work in meatpacking.
The point of the check is to not only thank the essential workers for their efforts during the pandemic, but to offset any costs they had to pay for personal protective equipment, dependent care, lost wages and more. Best of all, they don’t need to show any receipts to receive the money.
Unlike the previous stimulus checks, these won’t be given out by the IRS. Instead, state agencies, nonprofits and tribal governments will be responsible for distributing the money, after the Department of Agriculture parcels it out to them. While there is no word yet on how those workers can ensure they get paid, more announcements will be made in the coming weeks about it.
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Maine: $850 Direct Relief Payments
Gov. Janet Mills signed a supplemental budget on April 20 to authorize direct relief payments of $850 for Maine taxpayers.
Full-time residents with a federal adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 are eligible. Couples filing jointly will receive one relief check per taxpayer for a total of $1,700.
Taxpayers are eligible for the payment regardless of whether they owe income tax to the state.
Residents who did not file a state tax return for 2021 can file through Oct. 31 to claim their payment.
The one-time payments, which are being funded by the states surplus, started rolling out via mail in June to the address on your 2021 Maine tax return.
The supplemental budget also includes an increased benefit for Maines earned income tax credit recipients.
Read more: Everything You Need To Know About Maine Stimulus Checks
Delaware: $300 Rebate Payments
Delaware sent relief rebate payments of $300 to taxpayers who filed their 2020 state tax returns. The one-time payment is possible due to a budget surplus. Couples filing jointly will receive $300 each.
Payments were distributed to most eligible Delaware residents in May 2022.
Instructions to claim the rebate havent yet been released for residents who havent filed a 2020 state tax return. Instructions are anticipated to be announced by Oct. 17.
Check your rebate status or get answers to frequently asked questions from the Delaware Department of Finance.
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Stimulus Checks: Direct Payments To Individuals During The Covid
GAO-22-106044
The federal government made direct payments to individuals totaling $931 billion to help with COVID-19. However, it was challenging for the IRS and Treasury to get payments to some people.
We found that nonfilers , first-time filers, mixed immigrant status families, and those experiencing homelessness were among those likely to have trouble receiving these payments in a timely manner.
We recommended that Treasury and the IRS tailor their outreach efforts to educate such people about their eligibility for these payments.
In 2020 and 2021, IRS and Treasury issued $931 billion in direct payments to individuals to ease financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some eligible Americans never received payments. We made recommendations to strengthen Treasury and IRSs outreach and communications efforts for the billions of dollars in similar tax credits IRS administers, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
A $1400 Stimulus Check For Seniors Has Been Requested
In response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on households, the federal government issued three rounds of stimulus checks. The checks have since stopped, but the financial challenges have only increased for low-income households.
The blow has been particularly heavy on retirees depending on social security. As a result, the Senior Citizens League, a group that advocates for retirees, has asked Congress to provide a special $1,400 relief check for seniors to help them cope with high product prices.
As of December, more than 95,000 people have signed a petition from the Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group for older Americans, to provide a one-time $1,400 check to seniors.
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Most Read In The Us Sun
When announcing the program, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged the immense pressure faced by industry workers during the pandemic.
They deserve recognition for their resilience and financial support for their efforts,” Vilsack said.
Read our stimulus checks live blog for the latest updates on Covid-19 relief…
Those Who Qualify For A Piece Of The $700 Million Will Likely Receive $600 Per Person
The new year could mean another stimulus check for some specifically those in essential industries, who worked through the COVID-19 crisis, when everything was shut down in 2020.
But the money wont come easy. There is going to be an application process and those who qualify for a portion of the $700 million in financial relief are entitled to receive up to $600 per person.
Grocery workers, farm and meatpacking plant workers are eligible to receive money through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief grant program that was announced last fall. Those who will qualify for the payments work in food-related industries, where sheltering in place or working from home during the pandemic has not been possible.
Its estimated that $20 million of the $700 million will be set aside for grocery store employees, but its not known how much each person will receive.
While employees in those industries will likely welcome some extra money, the scope of qualified applicants seems to be too narrow. Its true that grocery, farm and meat-packing workers didnt have the option of working from home during the lockdown, however, there are other sectors who also did not have that option, but theyre not included in this round of stimulus payments.
Police, firefighters, transit operators and waste management employees are just some of the other employees who were expected to report to work during that time and could not work from home for obvious reasons.
This is true, but so do many others.
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Oregon Lawmakers Revive Proposal For Stimulus Payments To Essential Workers
A checkout clerk at a Pennsylvania grocery store on March 31, 2020.
Oregon Democrats are reviving a proposal to provide essential workers who stayed on the job through the pandemic with a one-time stimulus payment of up to $1,000.
Workers in what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration classifies as medium- to very high-risk occupations would be eligible for the bonus if they worked an average of at least 20 hours per week in person from April to December 2020, made less than $22 an hour or $42,900 per year, and havent already received a bonus or hazard pay from the state for working during the pandemic.
Rep. Andrea Valderrama, D-Portland, who is co-sponsoring the proposal, said during a House committee meeting Tuesday that lawmakers were still seeking clarification from the Oregon Employment Department on the number of workers who could qualify, but an initial analysis had identified at least 230,000 eligible workers.
In these circumstances where they were asked to show up on the lines, where we called them heroes, our low-wage workers, the hardest hit, did not receive additional compensation or hazard pay for showing up to these jobs, Valderrama said. This bill solves that by providing a one-time appreciation payment to some of our lowest wage workers in the highest risk places.
Fourth Stimulus Check Worth $600 To Be Sent To Millions Of Essential Workers
- 23:14 ET, Sep 28 2021
MILLIONS of essential workers are now eligible for a new $600 stimulus check.
The cash is set to go out to essential workers in agriculture-related sectors, including grocery workers, farmworkers, and meatpackers.
The checks, designed to help those hit hardest by pandemic, will come out of a $700million program launched by the US Agriculture Department.
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a press call on Tuesday that the funds are “a reflection of the essential nature of the work they performed in the pandemic,”Bloomberg reports.
It comes as nine million eligible Californians are set to receive stimulus checks of the same amount.
The California Franchise Tax Board sent out the payments in two-week intervals, on August 27 and September 17.
According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle website, those receiving paper checks can expect their payments to be sent out October 5, while direct deposits could hit bank accounts faster.
Using the FTB’s tracker tool, Californians can check their eligibility and see where their payment is now.
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New Jersey: $500 Rebate Checks
In fall 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey state legislature approved budget measures to send one-time rebate checks of up to $500 to nearly 1 million families.
New Jersey is also sending $500 payments to those who file taxes using a taxpayer identification number instead of a Social Security number. The Excluded New Jerseyans Fund applies to nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses and dependents.
How To Get A Little More Stimulus Asap
This new round of assistance is narrowly targeted. But if your budget is feeling tight these days because of the pandemic and inflation, or you could just use a little extra spending money, there are several options to help you create your own stimulus.
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Deal with your debt. Credit may be convenient, but carrying a balance on your card will eventually bury you in expensive interest. Tackle that problem by folding your balances into a single debt consolidation loan. With a lower interest rate, youll not only slash the cost of your debt, but youll also be able to pay it off faster.
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Trade in your mortgage. Almost half the homeowners who have taken advantage of the pandemic’s historically low mortgage rates are now saving $300 a month or more, according to a recent Zillow survey. If you own your home and haven’t refinanced in the past year, you’re overdue. Thirty-year mortgage rates are hovering around 3%, so compare multiple refinance offers to see how much you might save.
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Save while you shop. If you’re doing more online shopping, a free browser extension can help you find the lowest prices by automatically scanning thousands of retailers.
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Turn your pennies into a portfolio. Even if you don’t have much money, you can still earn returns from the stock market. There’s a popular app that can help you invest your “spare change” from everyday purchases to grow a diversified portfolio.
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Fourth Stimulus Check Coming For Some Essential Workers
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YORK, Pa. An unexpected 4th stimulus check will be available to some essential workers thanks to a new relief program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it is investing $700 million in a new program that will offer $600 relief payments to individuals who worked in meatpacking plants, worked on farms, and worked in grocery stores throughout the pandemic.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said during a press conference earlier this month that, “it’s important that we recognize that doing this essential work has also come not only with a potential physical risk, but also a financial risk.”
The bulk of the relief program funding will go toward one-time payments of up to $600 to defray costs for reasonable and necessary personal, family, or living expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as costs for personal protective equipment , dependent care, and expenses associated with quarantines and testing related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the agency.
The program details are still forthcoming, but officials said that more information on the application process for workers who are eligible will be available by late fall 2021.
Vilsack noted that these workers were the reason so many American families were able to provide food to the table during the pandemic and that they deserve to be supported.
Much needed relief coming for workers across the country.
