The Department of Workforce Development is requesting access to funds from the federal government to give unemployed Hoosiers an additional $300 a week, but it will only go to those receiving $100 or more in benefits.
The Lost Wage Assistance Program will be available for out of work Hoosiers backdated to Aug. 1. Federal guidelines say workers must have received benefits of at least $100 under state or federal unemployment programs to be eligible.
READ MORE: More Than 400,000 Hoosiers Lose Significant Income As $600 Unemployment Benefit Ends
DWD Commissioner Fred Payne said, unlike other recent unemployment programs, the money doesn’t come from the U.S. Department of Labor. Therefore, it could take somewhere between two to four weeks to start making payments.
“So it’s going to take a little bit of extra effort on our part in terms of moving staff to build a new system,” he said. “That system requires us to look at some new infrastructure.”
Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana 2020 Two-Way. Text "elections" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on COVID-19 and the 2020 election.
The program is set to last through the end of the year. However it could end earlier if the FEMA fund runs out of money, or Congress passes a bill to supplement unemployment insurance.
Contact reporter Justin at jhicks@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @Hicks_JustinM.