High number of applicants could shrink Minnesota’s hero pay

ST. PAUL, Minn. – More than 900,000 Minnesota residents have applied for bonus pay the state is doling out to people who came to work during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Tim Walz says that while not everyone will meet eligibility requirements for hero pay, he anticipates the final pool could be larger than the estimated total of 667,000 people. That figure would provide about $750 for each applicant.

The Frontline Worker Pay bill covers people employed at least 120 hours in one frontline sector or more outside their households between March 15, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

There’s two weeks left to apply for the money.