The new $300 federally enhanced weekly unemployment benefits will be available for jobless individuals soon and will be retroactive to August 1st. Governor Edwards says new federal guidance allows for 400,00 Louisiana unemployed workers to receive the payment.
“We fully anticipate that all of the individuals that are getting the unemployment benefits are going to be able to get the 300 dollar enhancement,” said Edwards.
The new benefits are a drop from the previous 600 dollar weekly payments, and they do stack with state payments.
FEMA emergency relief funds will fund the new $300 a month benefit. Edwards says that concerns him, but the good news it does not cost the state any extra money.
The disaster response fund has enough money in it to fund the program for roughly five to six weeks.
Edwards says the Louisiana Workforce Commission is hard at work making sure their distribution system is ready for the change from the former 600 dollar payments funded directly by Congress.
“It is our hope and my expectation that we will be able to make the computer fixes before the funding is available so that individuals are not having to wait longer than absolutely necessary,” said Edwards.
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