Now that New York applied for- and was approved- to receive the extra $300 per week in unemployment insurance benefits the waiting game is underway.
The Department of Labor says it’s going to get the money flowing as quickly as possible, but the timeline is uncertain at the moment.
“We are diligently working to update our systems so we can administer the Lost Wages Assistance program and deliver supplemental benefits to New Yorkers as quickly as possible,” said labor department spokeswoman Deanna Cohen, of the Gannett network.
The top benefit that an unemployed worker in New York can receive is $504 per week. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which was legally questioned by Governor Andrew Cuomo at the time, will put an extra $300 in the pocket’s of those individuals.
The unemployment benefit will climb to $804 for those individuals.
“Now that the federal government has blinked and will no longer make states provide funding they do not have, New York State will apply for the Lost Wages Assistance program,” state Budget Director Robert Mujica said Friday. The program, which is run through FEMA, will release funds to the DOL to use for purposes of wage replacement.
There is some indication that payments could begin flowing to those who are unemployed as soon as late-August or early-September. As for how long they will last: The answer is until the FEMA funds run out, or the end of December, whichever comes first.
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