State officials say about 750 thousand people have applied for COVID “hero pay” bonuses for front-line workers.

This figure is significantly more than the 667-thousand they originally estimated would be eligible. Officials say that estimates were difficult because of the number of eligibility criteria.

Officials say they won't know how many applicants there are until after the appeals period is done and they are "able to process all of those appeals.”

That will reportedly come after the 45-day application window closes. Officials will then equally divide the 500 million dollars the legislature authorized among all qualified applicants, with each check not to exceed 15-hundred dollars.