Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) Entitlement for Contact Tracers in the Philippines

A practitioner’s guide in Philippine context

1) What is the HEA?

The Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) is a statutory benefit granted during a declared public health emergency to people performing health-risk work. It was institutionalized by Republic Act No. 11712 (Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act, 2022). HEA replaced (and simplified) earlier, fragmented benefits like the Special Risk Allowance (SRA) and the One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA).

Key features

Fixed monthly amount based on risk exposure (Low / Medium / High). Typical benchmark tiers used by the Department of Health (DOH) have been ₱3,000 / ₱6,000 / ₱9,000 per month, pro-rated to actual days of exposure in a month.
Granted for each month of actual, physical exposure to health risks in eligible worksites.
Non-wage benefit: not integrated into basic salary; not the basis of premium contributions or 13th-month pay.
Generally tax-exempt when granted under the HEA law and related issuances (treatment has matched the earlier SRA/OCA exemptions).

2) Are contact tracers entitled to HEA?

A. The governing test: **Are they “health care workers” or similarly covered personnel under RA 11712, and were they actually exposed in eligible settings?**

RA 11712 uses a broad, functional definition that covers:

Health professionals and allied health personnel, and
Other personnel who, by assignment, perform health-risk tasks in DOH-licensed or DOH-designated facilities or operations responding to the emergency (e.g., hospitals, Rural Health Units, Local Epidemiology and Surveillance Units, testing/swabbing sites, vaccination sites, TTMFs, quarantine/isolation units, and other response operations recognized by DOH/LGU).

Implication for contact tracers: Contact tracers can be HEA-eligible if:

They are employed/engaged by a DOH office, LGU health office, hospital, RHU, surveillance unit, or a DOH-recognized implementing partner, and
Their actual work assignment entails on-site exposure (field investigations, home visits, facility-based interviews, on-site case/cluster response, walk-ins at RHU/TTMF, etc.), and
The head of the health facility/implementing unit includes them in the validated roster for HEA with the appropriate risk tier.

B. Common scenarios

LGU/DOH health office contact tracers (field-based) Usually eligible. Risk tier depends on the nature/frequency of face-to-face contact with confirmed/suspected cases and the setting.
DILG-hired contact tracers assigned to non-health offices Not automatically eligible. If they were seconded or officially detailed to RHUs/health facilities/TTMFs/testing sites and actually performed on-site tracing, they may qualify (documented by orders or actual assignment records). If they worked purely from home or purely administrative tasks in non-health offices, HEA generally does not apply.
Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) doing tracing If recognized/validated by the LGU health office/DOH and performing on-site response, they can be covered, subject to risk tiering and documentation.

Bottom line: Function and exposure, not merely job title, drive HEA entitlement.

3) Risk tiering for contact tracers

While actual matrices may be refined by DOH memoranda, a practical, defensible approach is:

High risk (≈ ₱9,000/month, pro-rated): Routine face-to-face work with probable/confirmed cases in confined or high-risk settings (e.g., TTMFs, ER triage areas, hospital wards, outbreak response in congregate settings like nursing homes/jails), or frequent entry into households of confirmed cases.
Medium risk (≈ ₱6,000/month, pro-rated): Regular fieldwork with intermittent face-to-face interactions with suspect/contacts (e.g., home visits in open/ventilated spaces, community interviews, on-site workplace assessments) with PPE and controls in place.
Low risk (≈ ₱3,000/month, pro-rated): On-site but mostly office-based tracing support inside health facilities (data validation, call/phone interviews in controlled areas), occasional short exposures, or consistent barrier controls and minimal unprotected contact.

Notes:

Hybrid work is pro-rated to days actually on-site/exposed.
Pure work-from-home (WFH) does not generate HEA entitlement for the period.
Adequate PPE does not disqualify; it helps determine the tier.

4) Documentary requirements & process

Proof of engagement/assignment
- Appointment/contract, job order, MOA, or engagement letter.
- Order of assignment to a health facility/health office/TTMF/surveillance unit/testing or vax site (if not obvious from the contract).
Monthly exposure report
- Daily time records (DTRs) or fieldwork logs.
- Duty rosters; deployment schedules; case investigation forms handled; site visit records.
Risk-tier validation
- Certification by the Head of Office/Facility (City/Municipal Health Officer, Hospital Director, RHU Head, LESU Head, etc.) assigning Low/Medium/High per month.
Payroll/Disbursement
- The employer/implementing unit consolidates rosters and submits to DOH Regional Office (or as instructed). Funds are downloaded to implementers, who pay directly to beneficiaries via payroll.
Liquidation & audit trail
- Keep copies of validated rosters, certifications, DTRs, and proof of payment. Expect COA post-audit; ineligible months can be disallowed if unsupported.

5) Computation rules

Monthly, per person, per risk tier, pro-rated by actual on-site exposure days in the month. Illustration: Medium tier (₱6,000). If on-site 10 out of 30 days, ₱6,000 × (10/30) = ₱2,000 for that month.
No duplication: You can only receive one HEA tier per month from one primary assignment (avoid double-claiming across overlapping contracts).
No stacking with SRA/OCA for the same month: If a month is covered by HEA, you don’t also claim earlier benefits meant for the same period (unless a rule expressly authorizes substitution/backpay conversion).

6) Tax, payroll, and benefits treatment

Generally excluded from taxable income when granted under the HEA law and its implementing rules.
Not part of basic salary, not subject to step increments, not used to compute GSIS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG contributions.
Paid in cash (not in kind), usually through payroll systems.

(If your payroll office withheld tax out of caution, you can request rectification/refund once supporting guidance is applied.)

7) Funding sources & timing

National appropriation (via DOH) during the period of declared public health emergency; the allowance exists only for months when a health emergency is in force and you actually render eligible service.
Disbursement schedules depend on fund release; late releases do not negate entitlement for validated months—they result in back pay once released.

8) Denials, appeals, and common pitfalls

Frequent reasons for denial/disallowance

Work was purely remote or purely administrative outside health response settings.
No assignment order or unclear host facility (e.g., listed under a non-health office with no detail/secondment documents).
No exposure records; missing DTRs/field logs.
Wrong tiering (e.g., claiming “High” without proof of frequent, close contact with confirmed/suspect cases).

How to contest

Request written explanation and the criteria used.
Submit supplemental proofs (field logs, case lists handled, visit schedules, barangay certifications, duty memos, incident reports).
Elevate to the Head of Office/Facility or DOH Regional Office for re-validation.
For COA disallowances, prepare position papers showing authority of law, assignment records, and exposure documentation.

9) Relationship to other COVID-era benefits

COVID-19 Hazard Pay (AO-based) for government personnel physically reporting during ECQ/lockdowns—separate from HEA; applies even to non-health workers, but only for covered periods and subject to caps.
Compensation for HCWs who contract COVID-19 (lump-sum benefit for death/severe/mild)—distinct from HEA and may apply to eligible contact tracers if they meet the medical criteria and documentation.
Meals, accommodation, and transportation (MAT) benefits—may be granted separately, depending on availability of funds and implementing rules.

10) Practical checklist for contact tracers

✅ Confirm your host entity is a health office/facility or DOH-recognized response unit.
✅ Secure assignment/secondment orders naming the eligible site(s).
✅ Maintain monthly DTRs/field logs and case investigation activity proofs.
✅ Obtain a monthly risk-tier certification from the Head of Office/Facility.
✅ Keep copies of all submissions and proof of payment.
✅ Coordinate early if you split time across units to avoid double-claim conflicts.

11) FAQs

Q: I’m a DILG-hired contact tracer in an LGU’s tracing team under the City Health Office. Am I eligible? A: Yes, if your actual assignment is under the health office/facility (documented) and you perform on-site tracing. You should be included in the validated HEA list with an appropriate tier.

Q: I did tracing by phone from home. Do I qualify? A: No for those months—HEA requires actual, on-site exposure.

Q: Who decides my risk tier? A: The Head of the health facility/implementing unit, applying DOH’s tiering guidance and your documented duties.

Q: My HEA months were validated but I haven’t been paid. A: That is usually a fund-release timing issue. Keep your validation and roster entries; once funds are downloaded, back pay may be processed.

Q: Is HEA taxable? A: As implemented, HEA has been treated as exempt from income tax when granted under RA 11712 and related rules. Payroll units follow DOF/BIR guidance for compliance.

12) Key takeaways

Eligibility hinges on function and exposure, not the job title.
Contact tracers qualify when they are assigned to health response units/facilities and perform on-site work during a declared health emergency.
Document everything—assignment, exposure, tiering—because validation and audit are strict.
Amounts are fixed per tier and pro-rated by days of exposure; only one tier per month per person.
HEA is separate from hazard pay and other COVID-era benefits; don’t double-claim for the same period.

Model language for a request (you can adapt):

“We request payment of the Health Emergency Allowance under RA 11712 for [Name], Contact Tracer, assigned to [RHU/LESU/TTMF] under [LGU/DOH Unit], for the months of [____], with [High/Medium/Low] risk tier per attached certifications, DTRs, field logs, and assignment orders.”

This article provides a practitioner-oriented overview to help contact tracers and administrators navigate HEA entitlement, documentation, and compliance in the Philippine setting.