More than 38,000 Minnesotans have applied for the state’s paid leave program and some of them have already been flagged for possible attempted fraud.
The Department of Employment and Economic Development reported Monday that it received a total of 38,336 applications for the paid leave program in its first month of rollout. Nearly half are for paid family leave and about 40 percent are for medical leave, while the rest comprise of caring, safety and military family leave.
“We've stopped numerous cases of attempted fraud and made multiple referrals to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension,” DEED Deputy Commissioner Evan Rowe said in an update on the program.
He didn’t go into specifics on the nature of the attempted fraud or the number of cases that were reported. But Rowe said the state agency will report cases when applicants misrepresent their identity or circumstance or submit false documentation suggesting they have spoken with a medical provider when they did not, to help ensure the program’s integrity.
“We are cognizant of all those factors, and there's a reason that we have multiple overlapping layers of review,” he said.
The majority of applicants so far are women. About 65 percent of Minnesotans on leave are under the age of 40, while the remaining 35 percent are older.
As of Jan. 31, DEED has processed over 21,000 applicants for approvals, denials and cancellations. The most common reason for denial is an employer already having an equivalent plan for paid leave.
But there are other reasons, too.
“Obviously, you need to have a full certification, all the correct certification paperwork. You need to be financially eligible for the program,” Rowe said.
He said the program has had a high volume of applicants so far, but he expects that to gradually decline. Rowe said Minnesota is on track with initial expectations for the paid leave program and the program’s rollout aligns with other states that have done it.
DEED is encouraging applicants to verify their identities using their online portal to speed up turnaround times and make sure they submit all the correct paperwork.
Rowe said the agency will keep educating employers about what they need to know and make sure they communicate internal policies on paid leave.
