Situation Report | September 14, 2020
Beginning this week, up to 2.4 million New Yorkers will receive $300 weekly in federal unemployment benefits retroactively covering three weeks in August. The benefit will be paid in addition to current state unemployment benefits.
In order to be eligible, some New Yorkers are required to submit additional certification, according to the state Department of Labor (DOL).
President Trump provided the benefit in a recent Executive Order, which was then approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the July 31 expiration of the $600 per week unemployment benefit.
According to the state DOL, FEMA released funding to New York for the weeks ending August 2, 9 and 16. It is possible that the state may be eligible to receive additional benefits under the program pending its future. Approximately $44 billion is available for the unemployment benefits. The funds had previously been allocated from FEMA for the purpose of disaster relief due to the coronavirus.
Federal lawmakers have worked over recent weeks to negotiate another relief package; however, the U.S. Senate’s relief package failed to advance last week, leaving lawmakers unlikely to advance another relief package prior to the November elections. A point of contention during negotiations was the amount to be paid to states for unemployment benefits, in addition to state relief and liability protections.
HCA will continue to monitor the progress of a potential pandemic relief package and update members as more information is learned.
To learn more about the current unemployment benefits, please visit the state Department of Labor website.
For questions, please contact HCA’s Director for Policy and Advocacy Alyssa Lovelace.