Frontline pay application period open, program plagued by technical issues

UPDATE: Some people may be experiencing technical difficulties when applying for bonus pay, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) told our sister station KSTP Wednesday morning.

DLI Communications Director James Honerman said the department is working with its vendor to add capacity so more people can log in and make their way through application sections.

If the identity verification section is lagging, people can try refreshing their browser.

Applicants can save the application and return to it any time within the 45-day period, Honerman said.

Visit frontlinepay.mn.gov for more information. For tech support, email mnfrontlinepay@submittable.com or call 866-333-7633.

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Minnesotans who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency can start applying for bonus pay on Wednesday.

Minnesota lawmakers approved $500 million for the frontline bonus checks. Around 667,000 Minnesotans are expected to be eligible for the payments.

However, to get the bonus, eligible frontline workers have to apply between June 8 and July 22.

Workers from sectors ranging from health care to food service, public transit and manufacturing services are eligible for the checks, as long as they worked at least 120 hours between March 15, 2020 and June 30, 2021, couldn’t work remotely, worked close to others, didn’t get any unemployment insurance benefits for more than 20 weeks during the peacetime emergency and doesn’t exceed the income cap.

After applications are processed, workers can appeal a denial within 15 days. Then, the final list of eligible applicants will get an equal payment. Lawmakers said the checks are expected to be around $750 but can’t exceed $1,500.

For more details about who is eligible for the checks, CLICK HERE.