BATON ROUGE — The Department of Children and Family Services may offer bonus pay to employees, according to a letter from Attorney General Liz Murrill.

Secretary Rebecca Harris requested the AG opinion, according to the letter released Monday, to ensure that the program was consistent with the state constitution. The proposed incentive pay program must still be approved by the State Civil Service Commission for final approval.

Per the proposed program, employees can earn bonus payments by meeting certain incentives, such as placing 85% of sibling groups in the same home and maintaining an error rate of less than 10% on monthly case reviews. Performance metrics may vary by position.

The amount of bonus pay would be based on the percentage of performance metrics achieved. Bonus pay starts at $3,000 paid semi-annually for meeting 100% of assigned performance metrics, while lower tiers of bonuses offer $1,500 and $750, respectively.

The intent of the program, according to the letter, is to reward eligible employees for achieving specific, measurable outcomes identified by state and federal agencies as critical to the well-being of Louisiana’s families. The program is also expected to improve safety, permanency and financial stability for Louisiana’s children by rewarding high-quality casework and timely outcomes.