Minnesota Denies 214,209 For Frontline Worker Bonuses

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – The number of Minnesotans in line for a frontline worker bonus this fall will be much larger than state officials originally expected, even after issuing denials to 214,209 people on Tuesday.

The bonus pool is capped at $500 million, meaning each approved person stands to get around $500. The state Legislature approved the bonus pay as a thanks to workers who were on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and state officials initially expected just 667,000 to apply, which would’ve made the check size $750.

Reasons for Tuesday’s denials varied, officials at the state Department of Labor and Industry said. The state turned aside 95,282 applications because people did not include proper identity verification.

Another 54,877 people were ineligible because they were above the threshold for unemployment benefits. To receive a bonus, workers couldn’t have gotten more than 20 weeks of jobless benefits.

The state denied 54,710 applications because those workers did not work in one of the 15 covered industries. Another 42,867 people did not fit the state’s income cap. For workers without direct COVID patient care responsibilities, the cap was $85,000 for individuals and $185,000 for married couples. For health care workers with direct COVID patient responsibilities, the cap was $175,000 for individuals and $350,000 for married couples.

The state rejected 47,145 applications because they were duplicates.

Minnesota labor officials have said they plan to issue payments in September. The state is notifying people whose applications were denied about how they can appeal.