Brian van der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Some states have started issuing a $ 300 weekly increase for unemployment benefits or flagged workers will receive payments starting this week. Others expect aid to begin later this month.
Workers in Arizona, California, New York and Rhode Island will receive the first batch of increased payments this week, according to state employment agencies. California and New York are states number 1 and 2, respectively, in relation to the number of workers receiving unemployment benefits.
Connecticut and the state of Washington intend to shell out the supplement beginning in mid-January, officials said.
Arizona, California, New York, Rhode Island
California workers were being paid the $ 300 weekly supplement as early as Sunday, according to the state’s Department of Employment Development.
However, the first installment is only available to 1.3 million Californians who are receiving regular state benefits or aid through the Federal-State Extended Duration program, which comes into play during periods of high unemployment, the agency said.
The benefits will be postponed to others – almost 3 million people – until “a revised schedule is in place” for the extended federal programs, the agency said.
These federal programs include Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
All workers in New York and Rhode Island, including those receiving PUA and PEUC benefits, will begin receiving the $ 300 increase along with this week’s payments, according to state labor officials.
Rhode Island beneficiaries will receive the funds as early as Monday, according to Margaux Fontaine, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Labor and Training.
Arizona residents were able to file a weekly order for an additional $ 300 starting on Sunday, according to Tasya Peterson, a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Economic Security. Payments started to flow this week along with regular workers’ benefits, she said.
Connecticut, Washington
Connecticut labor officials hope to start paying the $ 300 increase in mid-January, according to a statement released Tuesday by Governor Ned Lamont and Kurt Westby, the state’s labor commissioner.
Washington state expects to issue two-week payments on Jan. 15, according to information from the state’s unemployment website. It usually takes a few days for banks to process payments after issuance, the agency said.
The New Jersey Department of Labor has reprogrammed its systems to administer the $ 300 benefit and will soon begin distribution as soon as the user test is successfully completed, according to spokeswoman Angela Delli-Santi.
The $ 300 weekly supplement follows two others enacted during the coronavirus pandemic: a $ 600 per week stipend provided under the CARES Act until July, and a subsequent weekly $ 300 Lost Salary Assistance payment offered for up to six weeks until the beginning of September.
While some states were able to disburse this aid quickly, many took several weeks – even a few months – to do so.