Nicole Ki
February 9, 2026 2:08 PM
State says more than 38,000 Minnesotans sought paid leave, 'numerous' cases of fraud stopped
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.
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https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/09/minnesota-paid-leave-program-sees-demand-possible-fraud-flagged
