Still have "Hero Pay" questions? Here's what you need to know
MINNEAPOLIS -- "Hero Pay" is part of the Frontline Worker Pay program meant to compensate people for working during the pandemic. Another big date for the application process arrives Thursday.
Still have questions? Here's what you need to know.
First off, the application period closed on July 22. Nearly 1.2 million people applied.
According to the state, there were 214,209 applications denied, which is nearly 18% of applications submitted. The five reasons for denial were employment eligibility, unemployment insurance benefit threshold, adjusted gross income threshold, identity verification, and duplicate application.
RELATED: Hero Pay applicant denial emails sent out Tuesday
Identity verification was the No. 1 reason for application denial - over 95,000 denials.
Everyone subject to denial was notified by the end of the workday Tuesday. The state recommends checking the junk folder to confirm if you do or don't have a denial email.
If your application is denied, you'll have until 5 p.m. Aug. 31 to submit an appeal form. The state will respond to the appeal after the appeals period ends. The denial email should have instructions on how to appeal, but for more on that process, click here.
Another important date: Everyone who is approved will receive an email by Thursday (Aug. 18) saying "no further action is needed."
Those eligible for Hero Pay will get the money in the fall between September and October. It will be either a direct deposit or a prepaid debit card.
The state allocated $500 million for the program to be divided equally among those approved. The state's initial estimate was that 667,000 people were eligible for Hero Pay, meaning they would get $750 a person. However, the dollar amount won't be known until the appeals process is finished.
Gov. Tim Walz signed the Frontline Worker Payments bill into law on April 29. The bonus checks were something lawmakers promised for months, although Republicans and Democrats butted heads over which workers should qualify and how much they should receive.
To have qualified for the payments, workers must have been employed at least 120 hours in Minnesota in one frontline sector or more between March 15, 2020 and June 30, 2021. These sectors included health care, long-term care, emergency responders, schools, retail, child care, and public transit.
For more about frontline worker pay, click here.
