Hero Pay applicant denial emails sent out Tuesday

MINNEAPOLIS -- More than a million Minnesotans are waiting to see if they will get hundreds of dollars from the state. Applicants for Hero Pay should soon receive an answer. 

On Tuesday, the state is expected to send an email out to let applicants know if they were denied. It will be sent to the email address used in the application.

Hero pay is part of the Frontline Worker Pay program meant to compensate people for working during the pandemic.

Ashley Penney is a first-grade teacher with Minneapolis Public Schools. She learned Tuesday that her Hero Pay application was denied.

"Apparently it says that I had filed twice," said Penney.

Duplicate applications are one of the many common errors for denial, according to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

Nicole Blissenbach, the temporary commissioner overseeing the Hero Pay program, says ID verification and duplicate application errors are fixable through an appeals process. For all other denial reasons, there's nothing more you can do.

"If you are ineligible and you receive that denial, and you submit an appeal, it won't change," said Blissenbach.

Penney already appealed her duplicate application error and said the process was easy and straightforward.

"I took a picture of my ID, the front and back, and then I had to take a selfie as well, so they knew it was me," said Penney.

No matter how much money Penney gets through this program, she'll be thankful.

"Everything helps. I'll probably put the money back into my classroom," said Penney.

Everyone subject to denial was notified by end of workday on Tuesday. Blissenbach recommends checking your junk folder to confirm you do or don't have a denial email.

Everyone else, who is approved, will receive an email by Thursday saying "no further action is needed.

Nearly 1.2 million people applied. The application window closed on July 22.

According to the state, there were 214,209 applications denied, which is nearly 18% of applications submitted. The five reasons for denial were employment eligibility, unemployment insurance benefit threshold, adjusted gross income threshold, identity verification, and duplicate application.

RELATED: When will people find out if they earned Hero Pay?

The state allocated $500 million for the program to be divided equally among those approved. 

The state's initial estimate was that 667,000 people were eligible for Hero Pay, meaning they would get $750 a person. If everyone who applied was eligible, it would drop to about $416. The dollar amount won't be known until the appeals process is finished.

If your application is denied, you'll have 15 days to appeal. Those eligible for Hero Pay will get the money in the fall between September and October. It will be either a direct deposit or a prepaid debit card.

To learn more about the process click here.

To see frequently answered questions about the appeals process click here.