This provision makes covered data private/confidential and generally bars disclosure, with listed exceptions.
(a) Except as provided by this section, data collected, created, or maintained under this chapter are private data on individuals or nonpublic data not on individuals as defined in section 13.02, subdivisions 9 and 12, and must not be disclosed except according to a district court order or section 13.05. A subpoena is not considered a district court order. (b) Data classified under paragraph (a) may be disseminated to and used by the following without the consent of the subject of the data: (1) state and federal agencies specifically authorized access to the data by state or federal law; (2) the unemployment insurance division, to the extent necessary to administer the programs established under this chapter and chapter 268; (3) employers, to the extent necessary to support adjudication of application requests and to support the employer's administration of a leave of absence; (4) health care providers, to the extent necessary to support verification of health care conditions and qualifying events; (5) the public authority responsible for child support in Minnesota or any other state in accordance with section 518A.83; (6) human rights agencies within Minnesota that have enforcement powers; (7) the Department of Revenue, to the extent necessary for its duties under Minnesota laws; (8) public and private agencies responsible for administering publicly financed assistance programs for the purpose of monitoring the eligibility of the program's recipients; (9) the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for uses consistent with the administration of their duties under Minnesota law; (10) the Department of Human Services and the Office of Inspector General and its agents within the Department of Human Services, including county fraud investigators, for investigations related to recipient or provider fraud and employees of providers when the provider is suspected of committing public assistance fraud; (11) the Department of Public Safety for support in identity verification; (12) local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for the purpose of ascertaining the last known address and employment location of an individual who is the subject of a criminal investigation; (13) the Department of Health for the purposes of epidemiologic investigations; (14) the Department of Corrections for the purposes of tracking incarceration of applicants; and (15) contracted third parties, to the extent necessary to aid in identity verification, adjudication, administration, and evaluation of the program. (c) Data on individuals and employers that are collected, maintained, or used by the department in an investigation under section 268B.19, 268B.21, 268B.22, or 268B.23 are confidential as to data on individuals and protected nonpublic data not on individuals as defined in section 13.02, subdivisions 3 and 13, and must not be disclosed except under statute or district court order or to a party named in a criminal proceeding, administrative or judicial, for preparation of a defense. (d) Data gathered by the department in the administration of this chapter must not be made the subject or the basis for any suit in any civil proceedings, administrative or judicial, unless the action is initiated by the department.