More Than 1,500 Receive First Round Of $1,000 Job Bonuses

By Associated Press, The Bristol Press

Sept. 1, 2021

More than 1,500 long-term, unemployed Connecticut residents who recently found jobs are being awarded $1,000 bonuses under the first round of the Back to Work CT program, an initiative funded with federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the program, which will provide bonus payments for up to 10,000 eligible applicants through Dec. 31.

“Many workers who were displaced during the early months in the pandemic and faced long-term unemployment are now transitioning back into the workforce and starting to rebuild,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday in a written statement. “This one-time bonus payment will help some of those workers pay for the critical things they need to get back to work, including childcare."

To be eligible for the program, applicants must obtain and maintain a full-time job for eight consecutive weeks between May 30 and Dec. 31. Applicants must complete and submit an application electronically to the Department of Revenue Services.