>> CATHY: MINNESOTA'S NEW PAID FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE PROGRAM IS IN HIGH DEMAND.

LESS THAN TWO MONTHS IN, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 30,000 APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED.

AROUND 20,000 APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN PROCESSED, WITH SOME FLAGGED FOR FRAUD.

HERE WITH MORE, EVAN ROWE, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF MINNESOTA'S DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, KNOWN AS D.E.E.D.

THAT'S A MOUTH FULL.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU, GREAT TO BE HERE.

>> Cathy: JUST CURIOUS.

THAT'S A LOT, RIGHT?

30,000?

IS THAT WHERE YOUR PROJECTIONS WERE?

>> YEAH, IT'S DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF IN LINE WITH WHAT WE'D EXPECT.

PRETTY MUCH EVERY STATE-RUN PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN SET UP AROUND THE COUNTRY, YOU SEE AN INITIAL WAVE OF APPLICATIONS AT THE VERY BEGINNING, PARTLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF BONDING LEAVE CLAIMS THAT COME IN RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING AND ALSO YOU HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE HAD LONG-STANDING MEDICAL ISSUES.

WHAT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED TO SEE, THOUGH, IS THE UNIQUE APPLICATION VOLUME HAS BEEN STARTING TO TREND DOWN EVEN IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS AND, YOU KNOW, WILL START TO SETTLE OUT.

>> Eric: I KNOW YOU'VE HAD TO ANSWER THIS TO POLICY MAKERS.

WHAT ABOUT FRAUD RETARDANCE?

>> SO I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE BUILT THIS PROGRAM FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, FROM THE GROUND UP TO FIGHT FRAUD AND TO RUN IT WITH HIGH LEVELS OF INTEGRITY, RIGHT?

IT REALLY -- FIGHTING FRAUD COMES DOWN TO A OMBINATION OF PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND TECHNOLOGY.

YOU HIRE THE BEST PEOPLE.

YOU BUILD IN BUSINESS PROCESSES HAT UNDERSTAND THAT FRAUD, YOU KNOW, ATTEMPTS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN BUT IT'S WHAT YOU DO TO COMBAT THEM THAT MATTERS.

AND THEN YOU HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT ENABLES EVERYTHING.

WE'VE BUILT THIS TO REALLY INTEGRATE ALL THOSE THINGS TOGETHER AND WE'RE REALLY CONFIDENT THAT AGAIN, WE'RE ALREADY CATCHING ATTEMPTS.

YOU'RE GOING TO GET ATTEMPTS IN ANY PROGRAM.

THAT'S EXPECTED.

WE'RE IDENTIFYING THEM.

WE'RE STOPPING MANY OF THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN START AND WORKING O ENSURE THAT THIS PROGRAM RUNS WITH HIGH INTEGRITY.

>> Cathy: ARE YOU USING A.I.

TO DO THIS?

>> NO, WE USE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TOOLS, BUT WITHOUT HUMAN JUDGMENT, YOU GOT TO HAVE HUMAN JUDGMENT INVOLVED IN THESE THINGS AND I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE BUILT A REALLY ROBUST TEAM OF PROGRAM AND FINANCIAL INTEGRITY SPECIALISTS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD.

YOU'RE TALKING FORMER COUNTY AUDITORS, PEOPLE -- ACCOUNTANTS, FOLKS WHO REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS STUFF AND ARE CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT NOT JUST HOW CAN WE DO THIS WELL, BUT HOW CAN WE CONTINUOUSLY GET EVEN BETTER?

>> Eric: BUSINESS COMMUNITY REACTION SO FAR, WHAT'S IT BEEN?

>> I WONDERFUL SAY IT'S BEEN POSITIVE.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE FEEDBACK WE'VE GOTTEN FROM A LOT OF MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED IN TERMS OF THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE STATE PROGRAM AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE DOING OUR VERY BEST TO BE RESPONSIVE TO PROMPTLY TURN AROUND APPLICATIONS.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALITY HARD ON THIS FOR THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS AND WE'VE DONE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF OUTREACH ND ENGAGEMENT EVENTS.

WE'VE CONNECTED WITH OVER 21,000 BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES SINCE THE LAW WAS SIGNED.

SO THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF A LOT OF REALLY HARD WORK AND OUR WORK IS NEVER DONE.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE WORKING TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM EVEN BETTER.

>> Cathy: DO YOU THINK THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC EVE KNOWS ABOUT THE PROGRAM?

>> BASED ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS, I CERTAINLY THINK O. AND THAT'S NOT SURPRISING, AGAIN, RIGHT?

LIKE, THIS PROGRAM, I WOULD SAY MINNESOTA'S PROGRAM HAS BEEN MORE SCRUTINIZED THAN ANY STATE PROGRAM.

IT'S CERTAINLY BASKETBALL THE SUBJECT OF MORE PUBLIC CONVERSATION.

AND THE LAW CERTAINLY REQUIRED THAT EMPLOYERS NOTIFY THEIR EMPLOYEES ABOUT IT.

BUT MINNESOTANS HAVE BEEN READY FOR A PROGRAM FOR A LONG TIME.

THE UNITED STATES AS YOU MIGHT KNOW IS ONE AIDE HANDFUL OF COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT DOESN'T HAVE SOME SORT OF PAID LEAVE PROGRAM.

>> Eric: MAINLY WOMEN?

>> 75% WOMEN, 35% MEN.

THAT'LL STABILIZE A LITTLE BIT OVER TIME AS YOU GET MORE MEDICAL LEAVE CLAIMS IN.

BUT OVERALL, ALL THE DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE BEEN ROUGHLY WHAT WE EXPECT TO SEE.

>> Cathy: THIS IS NOT EXACTLY THE FOCUS OF OUR CONVERSATION HERE TONIGHT BUT I'M SURE IT'S GOING TO COME UP.

WE'VE ALREADY HEARD FROM OUR FRIENDS, THE MAYORS WITH ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF I.C.E.

SURGE IS A SMALL BUSINESSES AND OF COURSE THE GOVERNOR TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER THIS WEEK.

WILL ANY PROGRAM GO THROUGH D.E.E.D.

IN ORDER TO BOLSTER SOME OF THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES, LOAN PROGRAMS OR WHATEVER?

>> YEAH, SO THE GOVERNOR AND COMMISSIONER VARILEK OF OUR AGENCY ANNOUNCED A PROPOSAL FOR A $10 MILLION FORGIVABLE LOAN PROGRAM JUST EARLIER THIS WEEK.

SO THIS WOULD BE A FORGIVABLE LOAN PROGRAM TARGETED TO SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE EFFECTS OF OPERATION METRO SURGE, AGAIN, TARGETED TO SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THOSE EVENTS FOCUSED ON BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BRICK AND MORTAR AND RETAIL KIND OF OPERATIONS.

>> Cathy: SO YOU'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT?

>> SO IT'S A PROPOSAL.

IT WOULD NEED TO BE ACTIONED BY THE LEGISLATURE.

WE CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THEY TAKE IT UP EXPEDITIOUSLY WHEN THE LEGISLATURE CONVENES THIS COMING TUESDAY.

>> Eric: