Several frontline agencies on backlog for COVID differential pay

On the front lines but at the back of the line to get covid differential pay, as the cycle continues for multiple front line agencies that are backlogged with payouts.

The Guam Fire Department last received a covid differential payment on Jan. 23, meaning that our firefighters and medics have not received the payout for months.

"So currently we are about four to five pay periods behind," GFD acting spokesperson Cherika Chargulauf said. "However, we are working with DOA to rectify this situation. It's to no fault of either side, it's just the process."

Chargulauf said the reason for this delay is funding issues. However, she says they are currently working with the Department of Administration to pay out from GFD's operational budgets.


"We're hoping that our members our understanding of the situation but our management has assured us that it is in the process," she said. 

And GFD is not the only agency experiencing a backlog, as according to Department of Corrections spokesperson Major Antone Aguon they anticipate depositing nearly 4 pay periods of COVID pay by the end of this week.

"We weren't able to pay since November, but I believe once we pay this week we will be caught up to December," he said. 

Aguon said because it hasn't been paid since November, it will be paid retroactively.

"We are getting caught up on all of that," he said. "You know the average officer may be $200-300 extra a pay period so if we are two or three pay periods behind and they get paid it could be almost $1,000 give or take."

Aguon says the COVID pay is 25 percent based on the individual officer's hourly rate, and in February it was knocked down to 10 percent. He explains the delay in DOC's payments.


"The process it takes a long time just to key it in, and the different process to count for because it is separate from your regular paycheck," he said. "So it requires a separate timesheet to calculate everything that needs to be keyed into the system and then there was identifying the funding because we have been doing this since April of last year and we have identified some of the funding, the CARES Act money."

Also working to pay their front liners, the Guam Police Department is behind in both covid differential pay and overtime pay, GPD Chief Steve Ignacio explained. 

"As of last week I was all the way up to Jan. 30, so that means I only have February and march to pay and my overtime I believe is up until Feb. 16 and we may be processing something this week again," he said. "We aren't as back logged as before, we used to be three or four months but I think we are only tracking a month and half for overtime and two months for covid pay. And as I explained before it's just a tedious, manual intensive."

KUAM reached out to the Department of Public Health and Social Services for the status of their covid pay, as of news time we have yet to receive a response.