Frontline Worker Pay: Applications open through July 22

To thank those Minnesotans who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency, Gov. Tim Walz signed Frontline Worker Payments into law on April 29, 2022, enabling those workers to apply for Frontline Worker Pay. Application dates are June 8 through July 22, 2022.

To be eligible for Frontline Worker Pay, the applicant:

• must have been employed at least 120 hours in Minnesota in one or more frontline sectors between March 15, 2020, and June 30, 2021;

• for the hours worked during this time period the applicant – was not able to telework due to the nature of the individual’s work and worked in close proximity to people outside of the individual’s household;

• must meet the income requirements for at least one year between Dec. 31, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2022.

Workers with direct COVID-19 patient care responsibilities must have had an adjusted gross income of less than $350,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, or less than $175,000 for other filers and for workers in occupations without direct COVID-19 patient care responsibilities, the adjusted gross income limit is $185,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly or $85,000 for other filers; and

•must not have received an unemployment insurance benefit payment for more than 20 weeks on a cumulative basis for weeks between March 15, 2020, and June 26, 2021.

Applications and assistance

The Frontline Worker Pay application will be open from June 8 through July 22, 2022. Eligible workers will have 45 days to apply for Frontline Worker Pay. Applicant support is available to assist applicants in multiple languages.

Remember, you don’t have to be first in line when the application opens. The application will be open for 45 days and the funds are not first-come, first-served. The money set aside for this program will be split equally among all approved applicants after the 45-day application period, the 15-day appeals period, and the appeals review period.

Information for employers

The Frontline Worker Pay law requires that employers in a frontline sector provide notice by June 23, 2022, in a form approved by the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry, advising all current workers who may be eligible for Frontline Worker Pay of the assistance potentially available to them and how to apply for benefits.

Appeals

Those whose applications are denied may appeal the decision within 15 days of notice of denial.

Payments

After processing and verification of the applications, as well as a 15-day period for denied applicants to contest those decisions, the final list of eligible applicants will be determined. Each eligible applicant will be provided with an equal payment, not to exceed $1,500. All applications will move through the process at the same time and payments will be forwarded for processing together.

Visit frontlinepay.mn.gov/submit to submit an application.