Long-term care direct care: $18.92/hr — statutory $3.00 premium.
Direct care staff at long-term care facilities in New Jersey receive the standard minimum wage plus a $3.00 statutory premium — currently $18.92/hr in 2026. The premium was added by P.L. 2019, c. 32 to address persistent staffing shortages in long-term care, and it tracks the standard rate's annual CPI adjustment. Coverage is role-specific: direct care positions at LTC facilities qualify; administrative and support staff do not.
LTC Direct Care Wage Premium
Routes direct care staff at long-term care facilities to $18.92/hr. Validates role classification (direct care vs administrative). Auto-uplifts each January 1 with the standard rate.
What those rules do at hire and at shift save.
The hero card configuration: Block below LTC rate, Flag on role classification.
When a long-term care facility shift for a direct care role is saved below $18.92, the save fails. The premium is statutory and cannot be reduced by employer policy.
Direct care vs administrative classification is the audit-tested boundary. A "med tech" who also performs reception duties for >50% of shift hours falls outside direct care. Boundary cases trigger a Flag for documentation.
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Statutory $3.00 premium for direct care roles only.
The LTC direct care premium addresses chronic staffing shortages by guaranteeing wages meaningfully above the standard floor. Coverage is narrowly drawn to the direct-care role definition.
Statutory premium tied to standard rate
The LTC direct care rate is calculated as standard minimum wage + $3.00. When the standard rate increases each January 1, the LTC rate increases by the same amount. The $3.00 differential is statutory and cannot be reduced. In 2026: $15.92 + $3.00 = $18.92. In 2027 and beyond, both rates rise together with CPI.
Direct care role definition
Direct care positions include: certified nursing assistants (CNAs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) where covered by the rate, registered nurses (RNs) where their compensation is tied to the LTC tier, personal care assistants (PCAs), home health aides working on-site at LTC facilities, and similar frontline patient-care roles. The defining characteristic: the worker spends the majority of shift hours providing direct hands-on care or supervision to facility residents.
Teambridge applies the LTC premium by role at hire and at shift save.
The role-classification boundary is the operational watchpoint — boundary roles (multi-function) require documentation.
Direct care vs admin/support determined.
When a worker is hired at an LTC facility, their primary role is captured: direct care (CNA, LPN, PCA, RN tied to LTC tier) → $18.92 rate; administrative/support → $15.92 rate. Multi-function roles require shift-by-shift designation.
LTC vs hospital/acute distinction.
The premium applies only at long-term care facilities. Hospitals, urgent care, and ambulatory care default to the standard rate. Facility classification is captured at the location level.
Premium tracks standard rate.
Each January 1, the LTC rate increases by the same dollar amount as the standard rate. The $3.00 differential is locked by statute.
Multi-function shifts logged with split.
Workers who split shift hours between direct care and administrative duties have shift-by-shift role designation. >50% direct care = LTC rate for full shift; <50% = standard rate. Documentation is preserved for audit.
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