Personal Support Workers and Direct Support Workers Permanent Compensation Enhancement Program

Learn about Ontario’s Permanent Compensation Enhancement Program for Personal Support Workers and Direct Support Workers and their employers.

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Program terms and conditions

This webpage sets out the funding eligibility requirements of the Personal Support Workers and Direct Support Workers Permanent Compensation Enhancement Program (the “Program”) made under the Supporting Retention in Public Services Act, 2022 (“SRPSA”).

Eligible employers are responsible for deducting, remitting, and reporting payroll deductions, complying with requirements under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and all applicable laws, as required and shall agree to and comply with any additional terms set out in applicable agreements related to the Program.

Duration

This program begins on April 21, 2022.

The compensation enhancement provided in respect of work performed by eligible employees under this Program is permanent.

Eligibility requirements

Employers identified in the column entitled “Eligible Employers” will receive funding directly or indirectly to enhance the compensation of employees identified in the column entitled “Eligible Employees” by an amount set out in the column entitled “Amount”.

The eligibility requirements and compensation enhancement amount for the Program across sectors are set out in the tables below separated by applicable sector (such as, Hospitals, Long-term Care, Home and Community Care, and Social Services).

In each of the tables below, the following column headings provide key information:

“Eligible Employers” identifies the employers who are eligible to receive government funding directly or indirectly under this Program.
“Eligible Employees” identifies the employees who are eligible to receive a compensation enhancement under this Program.
“Amount” identifies the compensation enhancement amount (such as, $3 per hour or $2 per hour) that each eligible employee is entitled to receive under this Program.

Exclusions

This Program does not apply to:

Management employees, or
Except as expressly set out herein, to Regulated Health Professionals employed in that capacity.

“Regulated Health Professional” means:

A member of a college within the meaning of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.

Funding

Eligibility for funding of this Program is set out in the charts below. Funding under this Program may be provided to an employer directly or indirectly through a third-party.

Hospital: personal support workers

Questions regarding eligibility for employers or employees in the Hospital sector should be directed to: Hospitals.Branch-HSQFD@ontario.ca

Eligible Employer	Eligible Employee	Amount
A Hospital; or A third-party service agency which employs personal support workers and which is contracted by a Hospital for the provision of Direct Personal Care Services.	An employee who spends at least 50% of their working hours providing Direct Personal Care Services to patients within a Hospital or other setting to which a Hospital is deploying its employee for pandemic relief purposes.	$2/hour above base hourly pay

Definitions

“Direct Personal Care Services” means:

Directly assisting a person by providing personal care, such as assisting a person with eating, dressing, personal hygiene, and toileting;

For the purposes of the Program, “Hospital” means:

A person or entity that operates a public hospital within the meaning of the Public Hospitals Act;
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute/Institut de cardiologie de l’Université d’Ottawa;
A person or entity that operates a psychiatric facility within the meaning of the Mental Health Act, other than a facility which is a correctional institution, prison, or penitentiary.

Note: The compensation enhancement identified by this Program will also apply when eligible employees are redeployed by a Hospital to provide COVID-19-related assistance in other care settings (for example, long-term care homes). Redeployed employees while working in other care settings will receive the compensation enhancement identified by this Program applicable to their home position.

Long-term care: personal support workers

Questions regarding eligibility for employers or employees in the Long-Term Care sector should be directed to: ltcstaffingunit@ontario.ca

Eligible Employer	Eligible Employee	Amount
A Long-Term Care licensee that receives funding from the Ministry of Long-term Care. A third-party that is contracted by an LTC Licensee that receives funding from an LTC Licensee to provide personal support services.	An employee who is employed as a personal support worker or to provide personal support services in accordance with the requirements set out in section 52 of O. Reg 246/22 under the Fixing Long-term Care Act, 2021; or An employee who is employed as a personal support worker or to provide personal support services and section 388 of O. Reg 246/22 under the Fixing Long-term Care Act, 2021 applies.	$3/hour above base hourly pay

Definitions

“Licensee” means:

The holder of a licence issued under the Fixing Long-term Care Act, 2021, and includes the municipality or municipalities or board of management that maintains a municipal home, joint home or First Nations home approved under Part IX of that Act.

Home and community care: personal support workers

Questions regarding eligibility for employers or employees in the Home and Community Care sector should be directed to: PSW.wageenhancement@ontario.ca

Eligible Employer	Eligible Employee	Amount
A person or entity that employs an individual to provide Eligible Personal Support Services as part of an HCC Program.	An employee, including a Regulated Health Professional, who provides Eligible Personal Support Services as part of an HCC Program.	$3/hour above base hourly pay for every hour of Direct Care.

Definitions

“HCC Program” means:

Every publicly funded home and community care program in which Eligible Personal Support Services are funded by Ontario Health under the Connecting Care Act, 2019 or by the Ministry of Health under the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006, the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Act or the Homemakers and Nurses Services Act, including but not limited to programs for the provision of home and community care services including:

services provided directly or indirectly by local health integration networks operating as Home and Community Care Support Services organizations, including when provided through contracted service provider organizations;
palliative care provided in hospices;
services provided directly or indirectly by approved agencies under the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 or by health service providers or Ontario Health Teams under O.Reg. 187/22 (when in force) including when provided through contracted service provider organizations;
assisted living services in supportive housing;
services for persons with Acquired Brain Injury;
services for First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities;
services under the Homemakers and Nurses Services Act;
services provided in transitional care settings by approved agencies under the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 or by health service providers or Ontario health Teams under O. Reg 187/22 (when in force);
the Family-Managed Home Care program alternately known as Self-Directed Care (SDC); and
the Direct Funding Program (DFP) administered by the Centre for Independent Living Toronto (CILT).

“Direct Care” means:

The provision of Eligible Personal Support Services as part of an HCC Program whether the service is delivered in person or virtually; and
Where the Eligible Employee provides a combination of Eligible Personal Support Services as defined in paragraph I. of the definition of Eligible Personal Support Services and Homemaking Services, and it is not possible to distinguish time spent on each type of service, the provision of both Eligible Personal Support Services and Homemaking Services.

“Eligible Personal Support Services” means:

Personal support services as defined in the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 or in O.Reg. 187/22 (when in force) under the Connecting Care Act, 2019, or as set out in an agreement between the Minister of Health and an Indigenous organization under paragraph 4.1 of s. 6(1) of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Act (when in force) or in an agreement between the Minister of Health and an organization providing personal support services to individuals with Acquired Brain Injury; or
In respect of services funded under the Homemakers and Nurses Services Act, personal care, including assistance in walking, climbing or descending stairs, getting into or out of bed, eating, dressing, bathing and other matters of personal hygiene.

“Homemaking Services” means:

Homemaking services as defined in the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 or in O.Reg. 187/22 (when in force), or as set out in an agreement between the Minister of Health and an Indigenous organization under paragraph 4.1 of s. 6(1) of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Act (when in force) or in an agreement between the Minister of Health and an organization providing personal support services to individuals with Acquired Brain Injury

Social services: personal support workers and direct support workers

Questions regarding eligibility for employers or employees in the Social Services sector should be directed to: MCCSSinfo@ontario.ca.

Eligible Employer	Eligible Employee	Amount
A person who is licensed to provide residential care under Part IX of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, but not a person who provides residential care at a place of temporary detention, open custody or secure custody. A service agency within the meaning of the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008. A transfer payment recipient funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services that provides intervenor or interpreter services for persons who are deafblind, or deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing. A person or entity, including a society, that provides a service funded under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, but not a person or entity that is funded to provide youth justice reintegration services or a person or entity funded to provide Indigenous Community and Prevention Supports. A third party that is contracted by a service agency within the meaning of the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008 to provide services and supports to persons with developmental disabilities. A third party that is contracted by a person licensed under Part IX of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 to provide residential care to children under the authority of a licence. A third-party that is contracted by a Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services-funded transfer payment agency to provide social services and supports.	An employee whose primary employment responsibility is to provide at least one of the following: personal client care to persons with special needs, including developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, medical issues, or behavioural challenges; or caregiver respite; or interpreter or intervenor services for persons who are deafblind, or deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing; or direct care to children receiving residential care pursuant to a licence issued under Part IX of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017; and in the case of a frontline supervisor or team lead, the employee is required to perform the work described above in this table for at least 50% of their work hours.	$3/hour above base hourly pay

Definitions

“Caregiver Respite” means:

Services that are provided to, or for the benefit of, a person with special needs by a person other than the primary caregiver of the person with special needs and that are provided for the purpose of providing temporary relief to the primary caregiver.

“Personal Client Care” means:

Directly assisting clients by providing assistance in daily living tasks and personal care (such as feeding, dressing, personal hygiene, toileting, managing medication), or
Providing necessary supports required to assist a person [with special needs] to access and participate in community activities, or
Observing, planning daily living routines, supervising clients, monitoring and ensuring the personal safety and welfare of individuals.

Versions

Originally published: April 21, 2022
Current version published: November 04, 2022
Past versions:
[April 21 – November 04]

Updated: November 04, 2022

Published: April 21, 2022