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By Greg Iacurci
KEY POINTS
Unemployed workers may be getting an extra $300 or $400 a week in benefits through a new “lost wages” grant program.
States must apply, and be approved for, the financial assistance.
Fewer than half of states had applied for the unemployment benefits as of midday Friday. Here’s where things stand.
States are starting to take action around an extra $300 weekly unemployment benefit being offered by the federal government.
But, as is the case with most aspects of the nation’s unemployment system, details will vary by state.
Kentucky and Montana, for example, are giving $400 instead of the prevailing $300. Some states expect weeks to go by before workers receive the assistance, while Arizona started paying it this week.
The speed with which the payments arrive will partly depend on when — or even if — states apply with the federal government to offer the “lost wages” assistance. Then, their application must be approved.
The more than 28 million people collecting unemployment benefits are likely wondering: What is my state’s status?
Here’s a map of where things stand.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is overseeing program funding, had approved 13 states to offer the extra unemployment benefits as of around noon ET on Friday.
Those states are: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah.
Seven others — Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Texas and West Virginia have applied— a FEMA spokeswoman said Thursday.
Officials in around 10 other states have signaled their intent to apply for the aid in recent days. South Dakota has said it will not apply for the subsidy.
States approved for aid are guaranteed just three weeks of funding, with payments back-dated to the week ended Aug. 1. However, they may get more aid, depending on how many states apply and how quickly the money is drawn down.
Not all unemployed workers are eligible for the payments. Those currently getting less than $100 a week in unemployment benefits won’t receive the assistance — amounting to thousands of people, and perhaps more than 1 million.
CNBC
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