Healthcare workers in Minnesota to receive 'hero pay'

October 04, 2022 : Healthcare workers in Minnesota are designated to acquire hundreds of dollars in what is being dubbed “hero pay” that will begin being distributed this week and persist through the fall.

More than 1 million frontline staffers are set to receive $487 starting Wednesday under a recent initiative approved by Gov. Tim Walz earlier this week. The payments were approved through the Frontline Worker Pay bill that allotted $500 million for equal payments to qualified applications, which Walz signed earlier this year.

“I’m appreciative for the work Minnesotans did to help people across our state stay healthy and safe via the COVID-19 pandemic,” Walz stated. “Frontline workers are an essential part of the fabric of our state and helped us continue operating during the pandemic.” For those qualified for the “hero pay,” the payments will arrive either via direct deposit within seven to 10 business days or as a prepaid debit card set to reach in three to four weeks.

More than 1 million healthcare workers applied for the hero pay over the summer, exceeding officials’ estimates of 667,000 people.