Florida’s request to tap into federal money to provide additional unemployment benefits has been approved, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said over the weekend.
The Lost Wages Assistance program is intended to provide $300 a week on top of regular state unemployment benefits for people who can show they were put out of work due to the coronavirus and are eligible for at least $100 a week in state assistance.
No timeline has been set for the money to reach qualified applicants.
“FEMA will work with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to implement a system to make this funding available to Florida residents,” the federal agency said in an online post.
President Donald Trump announced the assistance after a program that provided $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits expired in July. That amount, approved in a stimulus plan in the spring, came on top of state jobless benefits.
Congressional leaders and the Trump administration have been unable to reach agreement on extending or revamping the $600-a-week assistance.
Florida provides up to $275 a week in state benefits that last for 12 weeks, a period that ended long ago for many people who started getting assistance early in the pandemic.
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