Attendant Services Maine (ASM) Recruitment and Retention Bonus Distribution to Personal Attendants

Attendant Services Maine (ASM) is pleased to announce its Personal Attendant Recruitment and Retention Bonus Policy for distribution of one-time funding received pursuant to the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Workforce Retention and Recruitment Initiative supported under Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

What is this HCBS initiative and how does it benefit Personal Care Attendants?

Personal Care Attendants who work in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) programs funded by MaineCare are eligible to be paid bonuses under this initiative. Existing workers can receive retention bonuses recognizing their service during the pandemic, and new workers can be offered recruitment bonuses as a hiring incentive. The State and Federal funding for this initiative is “one-time” limited funding and must be distributed by June 30, 2022.

How much is the bonus payment?

Initial bonus payments are $250 for Personal Attendants working up to 20 hours weekly and $500 for Personal Attendants working 20-40 hours weekly. Additional bonus payments may be available depending upon participation numbers in the first round of retention and recruitment bonuses.

Who is eligible for these bonus payments?

Retention Bonus Eligibility

• All currently active Personal Attendants who have worked for a MaineCare consumer for the past 3 or more months are eligible for the retention bonus.

Recruitment Bonus Eligibility

• All new Personal Attendants who take on work for a MaineCare consumer are eligible for the bonus once they have completed 3 weeks of employment and the consumer has completed the Personal Attendant Competency Certification form.
• Personal Attendants are considered “new” and entitled to a recruitment bonus if they increase hours worked by adding a new consumer, but not if they receive a retention bonus and then “replace” that consumer with another one.
• ASM will distribute Retention and Recruitment bonus payments via the same method, paper check or direct deposit, by which you receive regular payroll services.

If you have any questions regarding this Personal Attendant Recruitment and Retention Bonus Policy, please do not hesitate to contact us.