(WTTW News)
State employees who work in direct care facilities and have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to receive cash bonuses and prizes like airline vouchers and tickets to Cubs and Bears games, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday.
“Our state employees have worked tirelessly on the frontlines throughout the pandemic and I’m thrilled to announce this new opportunity to encourage them to get vaccinated,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement. “By further increasing state employee vaccination rates, we’re not just protecting our staff, we’re protecting our vulnerable residents in state facilities and our surrounding communities. Getting vaccinated is truly how we protect ourselves from new variants and put this pandemic behind us.”
Employees working for the Illinois departments of human services, veterans’ affairs, juvenile justice and corrections who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Monday, July 12 will be entered into the free drawing.
More than 72% of Illinois adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the governor’s office.
Among state employees, 41% of the nearly 12,000 Illinois Department of Corrections staff are fully vaccinated; while nearly 60% of the 1,227 employees at veterans’ homes run by the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs are fully vaccinated, according to department spokespeople.
Of the 6,278 employees who work at one of the 14 Illinois Department of Human Services’ 24/7 facilities, 52% have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; while 62% of the 842 front-line facility staff at the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice will have received at least one dose or be fully vaccinated by July 15.
Dozens of front-line workers will be chosen in drawings conducted by the Illinois Lottery, with winners announced July 19, according to the governor’s office.
Prizes include cash bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, first-class tickets to any domestic U.S. destination or coach tickets to any international destination from American Airlines, and home game tickets to the Chicago Bears, Cubs, Fire FC and St. Louis Cardinals.
Additional state prizes include a choice among lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum passes or memberships, and State Fair admissions and concert passes.
Prizes may be transferable, at the discretion of the awarding agency, and cash awards will be considered taxable income, according to the governor’s office. Those who can attest they would take the vaccine, but have a documented medical or religious exemption, may also be entered into the drawing.
Last month, Pritzker announced Illinois residents who had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine were eligible to win dozens of cash prizes — including three million-dollar jackpots. But state employees and those who got their shots through a federal provider, like the Department of Veterans Affairs or Bureau of Prisons, are not eligible.
The first $1 million prize will be awarded Thursday, along with three $150,000 college scholarships.
Contact Kristen Thometz: @kristenthometz | (773) 509-5452 | [email protected]
