About 400,000 eligible unemployment insurance claimants will receive weekly Lost Wage Assistance (LWA) payments beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 26. The retroactive payments will include the weeks ending August 1, August 8 and August 15, 2020. All claimants need to continue to file their weekly certifications in order to be eligible for future weekly benefits.
Subsequent weeks will be processed as additional funds are received from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). No additional action is needed from the approximately 400,000 eligible individuals in order to receive these funds.
Additionally, 20,000 unemployment insurance claimants could qualify for LWA. These claimants may have had their employment disrupted by COVID-19. This week, these individuals will receive an email from the LWC to update their claim information. No additional action is needed at this time, the LWC will contact claimants directly. Claimants should ensure that the email address they provided at time of filing is correct.
LWC will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and other federal partners to extend LWA to all those who may be eligible.