Catoosa County, Georgia, government employees are now eligible to receive $500 and an additional 40 hours of paid time off for illness if they get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Catoosa County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution 3-2 Friday that provides a one-time payment of $500 to current and future full- or part-time employees who are already vaccinated or get vaccinated before Dec. 31.
It also provides workers with an additional 40 hours of paid time off that can be used if a vaccinated employee needs to be absent from work because of a positive test for the virus or because of illness from it.
The employees of elected officials are eligible to receive these benefits, as are volunteer firefighters, but individual elected officials are not eligible. County employees who choose not to participate in the incentive program will not be penalized.
(READ MORE: Whitfield County inmates can now receive monoclonal antibody treatments)