Stimulus Check 2023: Are You Eligible for $600 Extra Payments?

United Farm Workers Foundation will be distributing a one-time $600 stimulus check payment to eligible farm workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic starting.

The payments will be issued under the foundation's two-year project of the Farm & Food Workers Relief Program, which started accepting applications on January 9, 2023, according to the UFW Foundation's website.

Applicants for the stimulus check payments can only apply once; additional applications will be denied.

Farm workers, in general, do not receive paid sick leave but were classified as "essential workers" during the pandemic.

Despite being "essential workers," several employers did not provide Personal Protective Equipment or a social distancing policy amid the onset of the pandemic.

There were no initiatives to vaccinate farm workers to prevent the spread of the virus, which eventually led to farm workers taking time off to quarantine and losing their work pay.

Sub-recipient organizations of the stimulus check payments include Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, Farmworker Legal Services, Bienestar Oregon, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, and Farmworker Association of Florida, among others.

Farm & Food Workers Relief Program

To qualify for the stimulus check payments under the Farm & Food Workers Relief Program, agriculture workers should have worked during the pandemic in the U.S. or territories from January 27, 2020, until the pandemic ends.

Workers certifying that they incurred expenses due to the pandemic, such as PPE, masks, hand sanitizers, face shields, COVID tests, or child care, can also qualify.

Applicants should also certify that they have not received the Farm & Food Workers Relief Program from another grantee.

Some proof of employment and identification will be needed, such as UFW Foundation ID, employer-issued ID, and forms of identification with the individual's name.

Paystubs, W-2 Tax forms, employers' letters or contracts, and written attestation can also be presented as proof of employment.

Monica Avila of Columbus Junction, a farm worker at West Liberty Foods for five years, said that the stimulus check payments would pay her light and water bill.

The program, which is under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, partnered with the activist group Escucha Mi Voz in Iowa to sign people up for assistance.

The group estimated on December 22 that it received 417 total applications in the first three days.

Escucha Mi Voz aims to assist 1,810 individuals through the program in January.

Stimulus Check 2023

The federal government has not made any indication that it would release another batch of stimulus check payments for 2023.

Several states have taken the matter into their own hands to send out direct payments to their residents to cushion the impacts of inflation.

California residents should have already received checks of up to $1,050 by direct deposit or through the mail in the form of a debit card.

State officials expected 95% of the payments to be disbursed before the end of 2022, but some payments were distributed around January 15, 2023.

Colorado also issued stimulus check payments worth up to $750 for single tax filers and up to $1,500 for joint filers in 2022.

READ MORE: Stimulus Check 2022: $250 Payments in New Mexico Coming Soon, Delayed Rebates Being Resolved

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. farmers - from CGTN America