Politics & Government
More Than One Million Minnesotans To Begin Receiving Frontline Worker Payments This Week
Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday that 1,025,655 Minnesota frontline workers will receive $487.45 checks beginning this week.
Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday that 1,025,655 Minnesota frontline workers will receive $487.45 checks beginning this week.
Walz and the divided Minnesota Legislature came to a $500 million agreement last session on compensating the state’s frontline workers for putting their health at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers at first estimated about 667,000 workers would apply, but the state received about 1.2 million applications between June 8 and July 22.
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The large pool of workers means the amount distributed to each is less than the $750 that officials originally estimated.
“I’m grateful for the work Minnesotans did to help people across our state stay healthy and safe through the COVID-19 pandemic,” Walz said in a statement. “Frontline workers are an important part of the fabric of our state and helped us continue functioning during the pandemic.”
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The Department of Labor and Industry, which is administering the program, denied about 215,000 applications because the applicant collected too much unemployment insurance money during the pandemic, their income was too high, or their job or ID couldn’t be verified.
DLI also denied 47,000 duplicate applications. This could be people who forgot they applied and mistakenly applied again. Or, more concerning, one person applied and someone fraudulently tried to apply using the same name and Social Security or tax ID number. Those who were denied had the chance to appeal in August.
The Minnesotans who were approved for payments will begin to receive them on Wednesday, Oct. 5, and throughout the fall, Walz’s office said on Monday. Those who opted for direct deposit will see the funds in their bank accounts within seven to 10 business days, while those who chose payments via debit card will receive them within three to four weeks.
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