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Thursday, March 28, 2024

$750 Stimulus Checks To Frontline Workers Coming Soon

By Aman Jain. Originally published at ValueWalk.

stimulus checks to frontline workers

A fourth federal coronavirus stimulus check is not coming, but states continue to send targeted payments to those in need, as well as to frontline workers. The latest state to do so is Minnesota, which is sending $750 stimulus checks to frontline workers. Gov. Tim Walz recently signed into law a bill that would benefit more than 600,000 frontline workers.

Stimulus Checks To Frontline Workers Long Overdue

Last week, Gov. Walz approved a bill that allocates $500 million to send a one-time bonus payment to about 667,000 frontline workers. The bill was approved after months of debate at the Minnesota State Capitol.


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“Stepped out of my son’s volleyball game to sign this important bill the minute we got it passed,” Gov. Walz said in a tweet after signing the bill.

According to the state officials, the stimulus checks to frontline workers could take 10 to 12 weeks to arrive. The proposal to pay bonus checks to frontline workers, or the “hero pay” checks, was first introduced in July last year. However, the check amount now is about double what was initially proposed.

‘“This is a positive. I’m really grateful to the legislators who worked on this and all the folks who kept the faith. It does bode well, this is how it’s supposed to work,” Walz said.

Stimulus checks to frontline workers represent $500 million of the $3.4 billion package that Gov. Walz signed into law last week. The bill also allots $2.7 billion to replenish Minnesota’s unemployment trust fund and reverse a business payroll tax increase.

Gov. Walz’s approving payment to frontline workers comes as a win for labor unions and other worker groups. Such groups have been urging lawmakers since last year to approve a plan to issue bonus checks to those who stayed on the job during the coronavirus pandemic.

Who Will Get It?

To be eligible for the stimulus checks to frontline workers, employees must have worked for 120 hours between March 15, 2020, and June 30, 2021. Also, the employees must not have gotten unemployment benefits for over 20 weeks, the state’s website notes.

Moreover, those who worked with COVID-19 patients and made $175,000 a year or less will be eligible for the stimulus payment. However, those with income more than $85,000 a year and did not work directly with COVID-19 patients won’t be eligible for the money.

Frontline workers who meet the above criteria and worked in emergency response, temporary shelters and hotels, building services, public transit, public health, social service, regulatory service, long-term care and home care, child care, food service, retail, courts and corrections, ground and air transportation services, health care, manufacturing and vocational rehabilitation, will qualify for the stimulus money.

Minnesota will soon come up with an online application portal to allow frontline workers to apply for the money. Once the portal is live, the application period will be open for 45 days. You can find more details on the program here.

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