Saturday August 8th 2020, at a press conference from his golf club in Bedminster New Jersey, President Donald Trump issued one of several executive orders which was to expand weekly unemployment benefits to allow for an additional $300 or $400 per week for all claimants. After some initial excitement, many claimants across the country were left in a state of wonder, the hurry up and wait phase, since each state's elected officials and bureaucracies had to then act upon the order, which included applying to FEMA for the additional funding. It has been said that weekly funds can be collected retroactively, and in some cases, claimants will receive them in a lump sum.
Payments are already active in a number of states, at least those who acted quickly and applied to FEMA immediately. At the same time, many states continue to modify their computer systems so that they can begin processing the expanded benefits. Bureaucratic red tape, fraudsters, along with political sparring, grandstanding and jawboning have inevitablely caused delays in some. The entire process has been a bit disorganized, leaving many claimants wondering if or when they will see the boost in their weekly unemployment stipend. And, for some, the feelings of confusion have subsided, growing ever more quickly into anger and frustration.
However, perhaps many shouldn't lose hope yet. According to information obtained from Forbes Magazine yesterday evening, payout timelines for the additional $300 or $400 weekly unemployment benefits have been determined for the better part of the country. Outlined below (courtesy of Forbes Magazine), is the status, start dates and other particulars for the unemployment benefits included in the president's executive order. In a surprising twist, full count bottom of the ninth, the US Government pulls a shot to left field for a game winner. Albeit, it arrives in what has become the typical, "better late than never" fashion, it would appear the United States government is coming through in the clutch.
Whether ironically, coincidentally, or strategically planned, just as mail in ballots will begin being delivered to homes across the country, it would appear President Donald Trump is proving to his constituents that his word can be trusted, at least as far as that promise goes, by providing economic relief to those in need. Say what you want about the man's politics, outlandish theories, erratic behavior, lack of political correctness and what some call an undignified presidency, as the saying goes, money talks and bullshit walks. And, that is exactly how many American citizens will see it when submitting their vote for the leader of the country for the next 4 years.
Expanded Unemployment Benefits Status, According to State:
(Credit to Forbes Magazine for state by state breakdown.)
Alabama
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Alabama began making the additional payments on September 3, 2020.
Alaska
FEMA Status: Approved 8/23/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Late October
In an email reply to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development said payments would start in about eight weeks from August 24th. A press release of the same date provides additional information.
Arizona
FEMA Status: Approved 8/15/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Arizona was the first state to start sending out $300 in extra unemployment benefits in mid-August.
Arkansas
FEMA Status: Approved 8/25/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: “Weeks away”
Arkansas hasn’t set a date for payments to begin, and according to a local news affiliate, payments were “weeks away” as of the end of August.
California
FEMA Status: Approved 8/22/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: 9/7/2020
California will start processing LWA claims on September 7, 2020 for a minimum of three weeks. More details can be found here.
Colorado
FEMA Status: Approved 8/16/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Mid September
Colorado has estimated that payments will begin in mid-September, according to this news release.
Connecticut
FEMA Status: Approved 8/24/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid-September
Connecticut has announced that it expects LWS payments to go out beginning in mid-September.
Delaware
FEMA Status: Approved 9/2/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
The latest official word from the First State was back in August in this press release. It didn’t provide a timeline, but did say that “President Trump’s plan is a Hail Mary that is unnecessarily complicated and will be a nightmare to implement quickly.”
District of Columbia
FEMA Status: Will apply
Am0unt: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
The nation’s capital was one of the last to apply for the FEMA program, has yet to be approved, and so far hasn’t released information on when payments will begin.
Florida
FEMA Status: Approved 8/29/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: 9/11/2020
A news outlet reports that benefits should go out by September 11th. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity provided this statement on September 4th:
“The Department is working diligently to implement the necessary technology changes to ensure eligible Floridians receive the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) Program benefits as quickly as possible. The LWA program will allow Florida to offer an additional $300 per week to eligible Reemployment Assistance claimants. To be eligible for this benefit, claimants must have a weekly benefit amount of at least $100 in an approved Reemployment Assistance program and must certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19. Payments will be retroactive to the week ending August 1, 2020.”
Georgia
FEMA Status: Approved 8/23/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid-September
According to a recent press release, the Georgia Department of Labor is testing its systems to handle the new payment and expects payments to begin in mid-September.
Hawaii
FEMA Status: Approved 8/29/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
Hawaii continues to work on changes to its computer systems required to process the LWA payments. In its latest news release, Gov. David Ige said the state is working to complete these changes “as quickly as possible.”
Idaho
FEMA Status: Approved 8/19/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
According to the Idaho Department of Labor payments began last week. Specifically,
weeks ending 8/1/2020, 8/8/2020, 8/15/2020 and 8/22/2020 are being issued during the week ending Sept. 5, 2020. Week ending 8/29/2020 issue date is pending and subject to available funds.
Illinois
FEMA Status: Approved 9/1/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
In an FAQ page, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said, “IDES will work as hard and quickly as possible to distribute LWA as soon as grants funds are received.”
Indiana
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid to late September
According to one news report, LWA payments will go out in the next two to three weeks. An FAQ page provides more details.
Iowa
FEMA Status: Approved 8/15/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
The Iowa Workforce Development began making payments on September 4, 2020.
Kansas
FEMA Status: Will apply
Amount: $400
Payments Begin: late September at the earliest. Kansas has indicated that it will apply to the FEMA program, but so far there has been no announcement on the approval of its application. The Kansas Department of Labor published an FAQ page that says payments will go out “no sooner than late September.”
Kentucky
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $400
Payments Begin: Early September
The best estimate we can find is early September. You can find updates on the Kentucky Career Center website, which currently states the following: “While the application is approved, reconfiguring the computer systems to pay the $400 is likely to take about two weeks. Therefore, benefits recipients should not expect the payments until sometime in early September.”
Louisiana
FEMA Status: Approved 8/15/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Louisiana began making LWA payments in August.
Maine
FEMA Status: Approved 8/25/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid to late September
A recent press release states that it will take three weeks to put in place the systems necessary to process payments.
Maryland
FEMA Status: Approved 8/20/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: late September
Maryland has announced that LWA payments will begin in late September on a “first-come, first-served basis.”
Massachusetts
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Massachusetts began sending out LWA payments on September 2nd. However, “those who are eligible for LWA through the standard unemployment assistance program accessed through UI Online, benefits are expected to be disbursed on or before Sept. 15, 2020.”
Michigan
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: week of 9/7/2020
News outlets report that Michigan will begin sending out $300 payments the week of September 7th. Updates on Michigan’s labor department website can be found here.
Minnesota
FEMA Status: Approved 8/29/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Minnesota began processing payments on September 4, 2020. In
Mississippi
FEMA Status: Approved 8/22/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid to late September
According to a Mississippi Department of Employment Security news release, payments should begin “three to four weeks” from August 22nd.
Missouri
FEMA Status: Approved 8/16/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Missouri began sending payments out in August.
Montana
FEMA Status: Approved 8/18/2020
Amount: $400
Payments Begin: Started
Montana began sending out LWA payments in August.
Nebraska
FEMA Status: Will apply
Amount: TBD
Payments Begin: mid-September at the earliest. The cornhusker state was the last state to decide whether to apply for the program. John Albin, Nebraska Commissioner of Labor, announced on September 4th that Nebraska would apply to the program. The report indicated that payments would go out in two weeks at the earliest.
Nevada
FEMA Status: Applied
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
Nevada was one of the last states to apply to the FEMA program, and approval is still pending.
New Hampshire
FEMA Status: Approved 8/24/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: 9/10/2020
According to an FAQ page, New Hampshire expects LWA payments to be available beginning September 10th.
New Jersey
FEMA Status: Approved 9/4/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: October
As one of the last states to apply to the program, New Jersey still has a lot of work to do to modify its computer systems to send out the payments. The current projection is that payments will go out as a lump sum in October.
New Mexico
FEMA Status: Approved 8/15/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: 2nd week of September
New York
FEMA Status: Will apply
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
New York was one of the last states to apply to the program. They’ve also said it will take some time to adjust their computer systems so that the $300 payments can be processed. Here’s a fact sheet the NY Department of Labor released with details.
North Carolina
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
North Carolina has started issuing payments and more will be released over the next several days.
North Dakota
FEMA Status: Approved 8/31/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid-September
Ohio
FEMA Status: Approved 8/26/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid to late September
Oklahoma
FEMA Status: Approved 8/18/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid to late September
A notice on the the OESC website notes that “exact start date and guidance on back pay will be issued closer to that time.”
Oregon
FEMA Status: Approved 8/28/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
A recent news release states that when an expected payment date is known, it will be shared on the Employment Department’s website.
Pennsylvania
FEMA Status: Approved 8/24/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: by 9/12/2020
According to one news report, Pennsylvania will start issuing payments by September 14th. Unlike most other states, claimants must complete a Lost Wages Assistance certification. A report out September 7th says payments will go out by September 12th.
Rhode Island
FEMA Status: Approved 8/22/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: 9/12/2020
According to a recent press release, a lump sum payment will be sent out on September 12th.
South Carolina
FEMA Status: Approved 9/1/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid to late September
According to a press release dated September 1, 2020, it will take two to three weeks to modify the computer systems before payments can be released.
South Dakota
FEMA Status: Will not apply
Tennessee
FEMA Status: Approved 8/22/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
According to one news report, LWA payments began about a week ago.
Texas
FEMA Status: Approved 8/21/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Started
Utah
FEMA Status: Approved 8/16/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: mid-September
According to a press release dated August 17, 2020, it will take the state up to four weeks to begin processing payments.
Vermont
FEMA Status: Approved 8/22/2020
Amount: $400
Payments Begin: mid-September
In a statement dated August 25, 2020, Vermont said payments would begin “in the coming weeks.” Additional information will be posted here as it becomes available.
Virginia
FEMA Status: Approved 8/26/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: 9/30/2020
The Virginia Employment Commission announced that it expects to begin sending out payments at the end of the month. An NBC affiliate has reported that payments could go out as early as the week of September 20th.
Washington
FEMA Status: Approved 8/24/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: Week of 9/21/2020
West Virginia
FEMA Status: Approved 8/27/2020
Amount: $400
Payments Begin: TBD
The latest press release does not give a timeline for payments.
Wisconsin
FEMA Status: Approved 9/1/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: November
According to the state’s employment website, programming will take eight weeks to complete.
Wyoming
FEMA Status: Approved 8/28/2020
Amount: $300
Payments Begin: TBD
In a press release dated August 23, 2020, Holly McKamey Simoni, Workforce Programs Administrator for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, said “we will work diligently to complete this process as quickly as possible.”
So for now, the federal government of the United States, acting at the behest of President Donald Trump's executive order, will be able to provide some economic relief to its citizens who are currently facing unemployment and underemployment. This comes at a crucial time of the year as we face the fourth fiscal quarter, with cold weather and a holiday season along with it. This expanded unemployment benefit allows for many people in the country to save, pay bills, and provide for loved ones. Perhaps it will even be enough to spark a turn around in the future jobs forecast, to start to get
the country back on track and get back to work. So, while this is a very temporary fix, it certainly loosens the proverbial "money woes noose" around many of our necks.
