Yahoo Finance How NSW workers can claim $320 COVID test payments
New South Wales workers who are waiting for a COVID-19 test result will be able to claim a $320 payment from Monday as the state continues to record escalating cases.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the payments on Saturday 15 August after weeks of heavy lobbying from unions and the Labor party.
Here’s who is eligible for NSW’s $320 Test and Isolate payments
To access the payments, workers need to be 17 or older and live in one of the local government areas (LGAs) of concern.
That includes: Bayside, Burwood, Strathfield, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta and the Penrith suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.
Watch: NSW announces stricter fines for COVID-19 rule-breakers.
They also need to have had a COVID-19 test since Friday 13 August, or if they’re in Bayside, Burwood, Strathfield, the test needs to have occurred on Monday 16 August and into the future.
Additionally, workers need to prove that they were likely to have worked during the period of isolation, and have lost income.
Workers who have lost income as they have needed to care for someone isolating while waiting for a COVID-19 test are also eligible.
Who’s ineligible?
Workers who can work from home, who have access to paid sick leave, carers leave or pandemic leave are ineligible for the payment.
Similarly, workers who are receiving income support from the Australian Government, including the COVID-19 Disaster Payment, the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment are ineligible for the payment.
Essential workers who are required to take a test every three days as part of the state’s surveillance testing are also ineligible, as those workers are permitted to work while they wait for test results.
People waiting on rapid antigen tests are also ineligible.
How to claim the payments
To claim the payment, workers will need to access their MyServiceNSW account to begin their application.
They will need to provide details of the date, location and reference number of the test, provide proof of identity, address and employment status and their bank account details for payment.
They also need to begin the application process within one week of taking the test.
When will I receive the payment?
Applicants will receive the $320 payment within three days of lodging their application, however workers can only receive one payment every 30 days.
South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capitol Territory also offer isolation payments with varying eligibility criteria.
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