MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on July 25, 2022.
Of more than 1 million Minnesotans who applied for a frontline worker bonus check last month, about 214,000 have been denied, according to the state.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry said Tuesday that the state received 1,199,416 "hero pay" applications – slightly fewer than the total reported at the end of the application period due to withdrawals.
The bonus checks will come from $500 million set aside by legislators for workers deemed essential during the pandemic. Payouts will be based on the final number of approved applications, and could amount to approximately $400 per person, several hundred less than original estimates.
On Aug. 16, the state will notify the 214,209 applicants that were denied for one of more of the following five reasons: Employment eligibility, unemployment insurance benefit threshold, adjusted gross income threshold, identity verification and duplicate application.
The state provided the following breakdown of why applications were denied:
- Unemployment insurance benefit threshold: 54,877
- Employment verification: 54,710
- Adjusted gross income threshold: 42,867
- Identity verification: 95,282
- Duplicate application denials: 47,145
Those with denied applications will be notified via email, but are eligible to submit an appeal in following 15-day appeals period, which will end on Aug. 31 at 5 p.m.
For more information on the Frontline Worker Pay denials and appeals process, click here.
The Department of Labor and Industry says it plans to disperse payments sometime this fall.
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