JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — About one-third of the states have used federal coronavirus relief aid to provide extra pay to workers who were considered essential during the coronavirus pandemic. But an Associated Press review finds a wide variance in who qualified for those bonuses and how much they received.
Some states provided hazard pay only to certain state employees who worked in close-contact institutions like prisons or mental health facilities.
Other states passed out money to a broad range of private-sector employees, including health care providers, grocery store workers, janitors and child-care providers. The momentum for providing bonus payments appears to be slowing as society reopens.
