Minnesota Paid Leave Approves 75,000 Claims, Paying Nearly $600 Million in 6 Months
Updated
Updated · INFORUM · Jul 7
Minnesota Paid Leave Approves 75,000 Claims, Paying Nearly $600 Million in 6 Months
1 articles · Updated · INFORUM · Jul 7
Summary
Nearly 75,000 of 126,373 applicants were approved in Minnesota’s Paid Leave program during its first six months, with officials saying the early surge has now leveled into steadier monthly demand.
Average benefits are running at $1,083 a week, and the state has paid out almost $600 million since the Jan. 1 launch while implementation came in $70 million under budget.
Medical leave accounts for 50% of applications, ahead of bonding at 36% and caring at 14%; average leave lengths are 6.5, 8.2 and 5.7 weeks respectively.
Women make up 64% of applicants and 58% are under 40, while 54% earn less than $78,000 a year, indicating the program’s heaviest use is among younger and lower-to-middle income workers.
Minnesota, the 13th state to launch paid leave, funds the benefit through worker and employer payroll taxes; DEED says fraud checks include employer and healthcare-provider verification plus analytics monitoring.