On April 29, 2022, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature that will provide bonus pay for eligible COVID -19 frontline workers. Details of the program, including the application process and timeline, are online at frontlinepay.mn.gov 

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 of the 2020 or 2021 tax years –
  • workers with direct COVID-19 patient care responsibilities must have had an adjusted
    gross income* 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.

Job sectors that qualify for frontline pay

1. building services, including maintenance, janitorial, and security
2. child care
3. courts and corrections
4. emergency responders
5. food service, including production, processing, preparation, sale, and delivery
6. ground and air transportation services
7. health care
8. long-term care and home care
9. manufacturing
10. public health, social service, and regulatory service
11. public transit
12. retail, including sales, fulfillment, distribution, and delivery
13. schools, including charter schools, state schools, and higher education
14. temporary shelters and hotels, and
15. vocational rehabilitation.