Applicants to receive one of two messages

On Tuesday, Aug. 16, Frontline Worker Pay applicants whose application has been denied for one or more reasons will receive an email message alerting them they have 15 days (through 5 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Aug. 31) to submit one or more appeal forms if the applicant chooses to contest the denial.

Those whose applications need no further action will receive an email message between Tuesday, Aug. 16, and the end of the day Thursday, Aug. 18.

The email messages will be sent to the email address used to set up the applicant's account initially used to apply for Frontline Worker Pay. The email message communicating the denial will contain a link to sign into the applicant's Submittable account, where they can access one or more appeal forms.

Fastest way to get answers

The fastest way to get appeal questions answered is to review the denial and appeal FAQs now. We worked hard to answer every possible question applicants may have and organized them by eligibility determinations. By checking the FAQs now and by looking there again if you have a specific question during the appeal period, you'll allow our applicant support team to help those applicants with issues not covered in the FAQs.

Eligibility criteria

Applications can be denied for five reasons:  employment eligibility; unemployment insurance benefit threshold; adjusted gross income threshold; identity verification; and duplicate application.

Three of these reasons are directly related to eligibility criteria in the Frontline Worker Pay law. Those criteria include employment eligibility, the unemployment insurance benefit threshold and the adjusted gross income threshold. If your application has been denied for one of these reasons, it is because the verification process did not produce evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria based on the information you provided.

Employment eligibility

If your application has been denied due to employment eligibility, it may be because the work you performed was as an independent contractor or sole proprietor rather than as an employee, that you worked for less than 120 hours during the peacetime emergency or that you did not perform work in a frontline sector within the boundaries of the state of Minnesota. To be eligible for Frontline Worker Pay you must have been employed (not an independent contractor or sole proprietor) in Minnesota for at least 120 hours. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria established in the law, submitting an appeal will not change the denial outcome.

Adjusted gross income

If your application denial is due to the adjusted gross income threshold, the information you provided in your application led to records that indicate your adjusted gross income (AGI) in tax years 2020 and 2021 did not meet the eligibility criteria established by the Frontline Worker Pay law. If your adjusted gross income for tax years 2020 and 2021 exceeded the threshold established in the law, submitting an appeal will not change the denial outcome.

Unemployment insurance benefit

If your application denial is due to the unemployment insurance benefit threshold, it is because our records indicated you received more than 20 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits in the relevant time period. The Frontline Worker Pay law provides that eligibility determinations related to the unemployment insurance benefit payment threshold will be made based on data held by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. If an applicant received more than 20 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits between March 15, 2020, and June 26, 2021, the applicant is ineligible for Frontline Worker Pay and submitting an appeal will not change the denial outcome.

Appeal forms

Appeal forms are online forms that must be successfully submitted to appeal a denial decision. The information required in the appeal form will depend on the reason for the denial. Each denial reason has a corresponding appeal form that can be accessed from the applicant's Submittable account.

If the applicant does not complete and successfully submit all appeal forms during the appeals period, within 15 days of the date of the denial email message, the denial will be final.

Successfully submitted appeal forms will be reviewed and a final decision will be communicated to the applicant by email after all of the appeals have been processed. The commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry's decision on an appeal is final.