More than 43,000 home health care workers in Virginia are eligible to receive one-time, $1,500 hazard payments for working during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.

Those who took care of Medicaid beneficiaries between March 12 and June 30 can receive the payments, which will be overseen in the coming weeks by the commonwealth’s Department of Medical Assistance Services. The federal CARES Act authorized $73 million in funding for the payments, according to Northam’s office.

In a statement, the governor praised home health care workers, saying their jobs put them at higher risk of catching the coronavirus. “[T]his hazard payment is a way we can acknowledge that they put themselves in harm’s way to help others,” he said.

Home health care workers are often unseen, unsung, and underpaid—and most are women of color. Virginia is making an important investment in these heroes who have put themselves in harm’s way during the #COVID19 pandemic. https://t.co/qq1AFhrRQA https://t.co/JrGmrzFCgj

— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) October 15, 2020

Virginia is providing home health aides with personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves. Its most recent budget also raises their wages 7% over two years, said Northam’s office.

Most home health care workers in the commonwealth are women of color, and many took care of older residents when nursing homes saw coronavirus outbreaks in the spring. David Broder, the president of Service Employees International Union Virginia 512, which represents personal care attendants, said the hazard payments “will support families and keep overall costs down for our healthcare system.”

The payments will be made pre-tax. Virginia is also benefiting from CARES Act funding for reopening schools, among other needs.