Member Login:
  •  

Receive 30% reimbursement on your wellness program.

 

Wisconsin's Workplace Wellness Grant (Act 137) was enacted in March 2014 to provide grants to small businesses that create workplace wellness programs. This grant ends December 31, 2018, but with the streamlined application process there is still plenty of time left for you to take advantage of this opportunity.

Key Facts:
  • Act 137 appropriates $3 million per year for grants to reimburse workplaces that have employee wellness programs. 
  • The title of the Act is Workplace Wellness Program Grants, but the funds are used to reimburse workplaces that have already incurred expenses for their workplace wellness programs. Therefore, the application requires that workplaces submit actual expenses from a 12-month period, rather than ask for funds to develop a new program.
  • No grants may be awarded after December 31, 2018
  • The grant pays for 30% of wellness program costs for one year ($15,000 cap), and each workplace can only apply once.
  • Rules to administer the law, including the application content, are specified in Wisconsin Administrative Code ch. DHS 150 (link is external).
 
Do you meet the criteria?
  • Only Wisconsin small businesses (50 or fewer employees) are eligible.
  • Small businesses that created new workplace wellness programs after March 2014 are eligible for the grant. Employers that started wellness programs prior to March 2014, that previously did not meet the legal definition of a wellness program as outlined by the new law, may still be eligible for this grant opportunity.
  • The employer must offer a wellness program with one of nine health components:
    • Chronic disease prevention
    • Weight management
    • Stress management
    • Worker injury prevention programs
    • Health screenings
    • Nutrition education
    • Health or fitness incentive programs
    • Vaccinations
    • Employee physical examinations
  • The employer must conduct a health risk assessment (HRA). A health risk assessment means a computer-based health-promotion tool consisting of a questionnaire; a biometric health screening to measure vital health statistics, including blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, weight, and height; a formula for estimating health risks; an advice database; and a means to generate reports.
Grant Application
There are two steps to the application process:
 
  1. Complete the application, either via the online form (submitted electronically when finished) or by downloading the pdf form and completing it by hand. Submit the online version electronically or mail the pdf form with the required forms.
  2. You will have two payment options: credit card or check. Send the associated forms for reimbursement.

 

WI Act 137 Website  |  PDF Handout Email a question

If you have a question that can't be found in the information above or in the Question and Answer section, call Jon Morgan at 608-266-9781.

Jon Morgan
Department of Health Services
1 W. Wilson Street, Room 218
Madison, WI 53703

 
Lisa Grenfell, WELCOA Faculty
Member Engagement Manager
lgrenfell@wellnesscouncilwi.org
Learn more about me.

© Copyright 2024 WCWI


By Mail: PO Box 3, South Milwaukee, WI 5172

By Email: wcwi@wellnesscouncilwi.org.

By Phone: 262.254.7888

top