Paid leave officially launched in Minnesota, two and a half years after Governor Walz signed the bill.

"We opened the application early, and so that means that any Minnesotan that needs to take leave in 2026 can fill out their application now on our website," said Matt Varilek, Commissioner of DEED.

The Paid Leave program allows employees partial pay for medical reasons, to bond with a newborn baby or care for a family member. The benefits are also available to some military families and those responding to a personal safety issue, such as stalking or domestic violence. 
Leave is capped at 20 weeks a year. The program is funded by a payroll tax increase split between employers and employees.

The state took a phased-in approach over the last two months. Starting in December, DEED began accepting applications from Minnesotans who welcomed a child in 2025.

According to a DEED spokesperson, as of Wednesday, the state has approved 4,005 applications. 2,044 were denied or cancelled. 
That spokesperson says often, applicants are denied because proper documentation isn't provided or the applicant's employer offers an equivalent plan.

"We built the program with strong integrity measures built in to prevent abuse on the front end," Varilek said.

Just last month program leaders sat before the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and Oversight Policy Committee. Minnesota Republicans have long been critical of the program that passed during a DFL majority in 2023. 

"It is our strong hope that the internal controls in this program are robust and followed because we do not want to be back here a year from now having a fraud hearing," said Committee Chair Kristin Robbins, during that meeting. Robbins is a republican state representative also running for Governor of Minnesota. 

On Wednesday, DEED Deputy Commissioner Evan Rowe spoke about some points in the verification process, like validating an applicant's identity. 

"Every leave has to be certified by a medical or appropriate provider," Rowe said, going on to explain other checks in the process. "When an employee applies for leave we contact their employer to make sure with information from the application to make sure that aligns with their understanding."

According to Rowe, the Paid Leave program was built in partnership with the state's unemployment insurance program in hopes of 'leveraging the data and history' tied to that program. 

13 states and the District of Columbia have paid family or medical leave laws.