Governor Larry Hogan has announced that the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has approved the state’s application to provide unemployed Marylanders with an additional $300 per week in benefits under the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program. The Maryland Department of Labor will now work with the federal administration to implement this program, with a plan to begin distributing the additional benefits by late September.
“We sincerely appreciate FEMA’s quick approval of our application so that we can provide additional relief to struggling Marylanders,” said Governor Hogan. “Our Labor team will now work with the federal administration to implement this new program so that we can distribute these benefits. It is important to recognize that this is only a stopgap, and we continue to urge Congress to come together and approve federal aid for the states to help support our economic recovery.” Based on rough numbers of 250,000 Marylanders unemployed due to COVID, this additional $431 million will only last 5.59 weeks running out shortly after Labor Day (based on retroactive pay to August 1).
From March 9 to August 15, the Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance paid a total of $5,993,589,284 in regular and CARES Act unemployment insurance benefits to claimants. The state’s application secures a minimum of $431 million in additional benefits for unemployed Marylanders.
The Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance will coordinate with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and FEMA to complete the programming, implementation, and distribution of LWA funds, which is expected to begin by late September. Per FEMA guidelines, Maryland’s application for the LWA program has been initially approved for a three-week period.
Eligible claimants will receive the $300 per week in benefits retroactive to the week ending August 1, 2020 and ending no later than December 26, 2020. To qualify for the additional $300 per week, claimants must be eligible for a weekly benefit amount of at least $100 and must self-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. Claimants will not have to file a new application to receive LWA benefits.
To receive updates and additional information about unemployment insurance programs in Maryland, visit MDunemployment.com.
