The
Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) announced today that the
agency issued a total of $64M in Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) payments to
Montanans impacted by COVID-19 at the completion of the program.
“We
know that this funding made a difference for jobless Montanans and those
working reduced hours due to the ongoing pandemic,”
Acting Commissioner Brenda Nordlund
said.
Montana
was among the first states in the U.S. to begin issuing the LWA supplemental
payments and one of four states to pay out the maximum $400 weekly amount to
Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) funded $300 of the weekly benefit, and Montana contributed another $100
from its CARES Act relief funds.
DLI
issued a total of $48M in federal funding from FEMA, and another $16M in state
dollars.
A
Presidential Memorandum established Lost Wages Assistance after Congress did
not reauthorize the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which
provided an extra $600 weekly benefit to eligible UI claimants. The duration of
the LWA program was dependent on the terms of the Memorandum.
Montana
received six weeks of funding from FEMA for the UI benefit weeks ending August
1 through September 5. As of September 25, 2020, DLI has
completed all possible disbursements to claimants using the funds provided
under this program.
Other
federal UI expansions, passed under the CARES Act, do not expire until December
26, 2020. This includes Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC),
which provides an extra 13 weeks of benefits to persons who exhaust traditional
benefits, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides up to 46
weeks of benefits to those who are self-employed and some others who have not
traditionally qualified for state benefits. Also, Montana is offering an
additional 13 weeks of Extended Benefits for eligible individuals who have
exhausted both their regular UI benefits and PEUC benefits.
DLI
continues to encourage anyone who believes they may be eligible for UI to file
a claim online at MontanaWorks.gov, or at mtpua.mt.gov for those that fall
under the
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
eligibility guidelines
.
Those with technical, eligibility, or benefits questions are encouraged to view
the COVID-19 resource website at
dli.mt.gov/covid-19. A variety of information for both
Montana workers and employers is available, and resources to help claimants
navigate the unemployment process.
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