Apply by July 31st

$50 million in grant funding is available to assist employers in providing hazard pay to employees who are working in life-sustaining occupations during the pandemic. Hazard pay keeps essential employees working in vital Pennsylvania industry sectors.

This reimbursement-based grant is part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and is available to employers who will be offering hazard pay during the eligible program period. The grants are administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and will not exceed $3 million per business.

Applicants eligible to apply include:

• Businesses
• Public Transportation Agencies
• Healthcare Non-profits
• Certified Economic Development Organizations (CEDO)

Pennsylvania-based industries eligible to apply include:

• Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Hospitals
• Ambulatory Health Care Services
• Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
• Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
• Food Retail Facilities
• Food Manufacturing
• Janitorial Services
• Security Services for industries listed above
• Commercial industries not closed as a result of the Closure Order

Hazard Pay grant funds may be used for for direct, part-time and full-time employees earning less than $20/hour (not including benefits or overtime) during the 10-week period from August 16, 2020, to October 24, 2020. Employers may apply for up to $1,200 per eligible full-time equivalent (FTE) employee, up to a maximum of 500 eligible FTE employees per location.

To apply for the grant use the online DCED Electronic Single Application for Assistance located at www.esa.dced.state.pa.us from July 16, 2020, to July 31, 2020.

For questions regarding this program, please contact the DCED directly at (717) 787-6245 or ra-dcedcbf@pa.gov.

If you need additional guidance, please contact a CGA Business Law or Labor and Employment Law attorney.

For information on the various programs available to assist businesses, please visit the CGA COVID-19 Resource Page.

CGA’s latest blog posts.