HARRISBURG, Pa. — FEMA has approved Pennsylvania's grant for the Lost Wages Assistance program, but it could be some time before unemployment claimants see the extra $300 per week.
"It's not even an unemployment program," said Susan Dickinson, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy Director. "It's a disaster program so, it's complicated."
The Pa Dept. of L&I is working to implement the president's Lost Wage Act. The approval process and money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was money intended for storm disaster relief. It will give certain people collecting unemployment an extra $300 per week, but the Dept. of L&I isn't putting a time frame on how soon claimants could see those extra payments.
"It's basically its own unemployment system without being a full unemployment system," said Dickinson.
The Pa Dept. of L&I is now having to create a new system to make these payments. Not everyone collecting unemployment benefits will be eligible for the money. Claimants will need to verify they make more than $100 in unemployment benefits and their unemployment is due to COVID-19 to be eligible.
"It's not as easy as just making payments," said Dickinson. "It needs to be an entire payment system that also includes denials and over-payments in the back end."
The Pa Dept. of L&I is still pushing for Congress to extend the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program which gave claimants an extra $600 a week. Because that system is already set up, Dept. of L&I Secretary Jerry Oleksiak says, it could begin paying claimants within days.