California recently applied for the federal Lost Wages Assistance program in hopes of helping those still unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The state’s Employment Development Department on Aug. 22 issued a press release stating that the application was granted, which means people will receive an extra $300 a week for those receiving at least $100 a week in regular state or federal unemployment benefits.
According to the press release, the state will get $4.5 billion and the weekly supplement will be available for a minimum of three weeks. Retroactive to Aug. 1 the supplement will be available to people who are currently eligible to receive at least $100 per week in benefits.
Others that qualify include those who can provide a self-certification that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
EDD did not specify how soon payments will be made and they will provide more information as details become available.
The program will use $44 billion in funds normally set aside for federal disaster relief. States can use their funds to pay out an extra $100 per week, which jumps to $400 per week.
President Donald Trump originally pushed for $400 a week in an Aug. 8 memorandum. He authorized the program after Congress failed to agree on a universal plan to provide an extra $600 a week that people on state of federal unemployment benefits received from April through the end of July.
The extra $300 a week will be available to anyone receiving at least $100 per week in regular state unemployment compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Extended Benefits, Unemployment Compensations for Federal Employees, Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers, Short-Time Compensation, Trade Readjustment Allowance or payments under the Self-Employment Assistance program.
After five months of the COVID-19 pandemic, impacted workers have received a total of $67 billion in unemployment benefits, according to EDD. They report that they processed 10.6 million claims for benefits over that time between the regular Unemployment Insurance program, extensions and separate Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
That’s nearly triple the number of claims processed in the previous highest year, which was 3.8 million claims in 2010.
