State's Low-Income Workers Getting $500 Premium Payments

02:43PM / Tuesday, February 08, 2022Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON – A half-million low-income workers will start seeing $500 payments in the coming months from the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay program.

These payments represent the first round of funds to be distributed as part of the $460 million program, which was enacted in December when Gov. Charlie Baker signed a $4 billion spending plan for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. These payments, worth $250 million, will be mailed to 500,000 people by the end of March.

"I was pleased to sign the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay program into law in December, and our administration has worked quickly to design the parameters for the program with plans to efficiently begin distribution of these payments by the end of March," said Baker in a statement. "This program will support those workers who served our communities, especially early in the pandemic."

The law provided for the administration to design the program and develop eligibility parameters to quickly provide funds to qualified workers across the commonwealth. Based on filed 2020 Massachusetts tax returns, individuals will be eligible for payments if their income from employment was at least $12,750 and their total income put them below 300 percent of the federal poverty level.

The lower bound of this range equates to working 20 hours a week for 50 weeks at minimum wage of $12.75 as of 2020. The federal poverty level is set by the federal government and increases with household or family size. For example, the maximum total income for a single filer with no dependents will be $38,280; a resident who files with a spouse and two dependents, or with no spouse and three dependents, could be eligible with a household income up to $78,600. Married filers can each be eligible, provided each independently qualifies.

Individuals who received unemployment compensation in 2020 will not be eligible for the first round of payments, nor will the commonwealth executive branch employees who received or will receive a one-time payment from the state as their employer.

The legislation creating the Premium Pay program included $500 million for low-income essential workers; this $460 million program comprises the majority of those funds, and $40 million was allocated to fund previous agreements with state employee unions. Additional information on plans to disburse subsequent rounds of funds after March will be released in the future.

Based on the parameters, the below chart indicates eligibility for these payments by household size:

Tags: COVID-19,

More Coronavirus Updates
Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 news:

iBerkshires.com

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

View Full Story