Human Services Department Loses Age-Bias Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge says the Minnesota Department of Human Services must pay about $467,000 to 29 former employees to resolve an age discrimination lawsuit.

The money will go to human services retirees who were denied health and dental insurance because they were older than 55 when they retired. The department must also pay premiums for those entitled to them.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued DHS this year, saying the department's policy was illegal because it denied premiums to people over a certain age.

Human Services Deputy Commissioner Anne Barry says in a statement she believes the agreement is fair to all parties. She says the state has already taken steps to fix the contractual language.

Last June, the Minnesota Department of Corrections paid $724,000 in a similar lawsuit.