Georgians who already receive at least $100 a week in state unemployment benefits soon could be seeing an additional $300 in compensation from the federal government.
The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) has approved the state’s application for supplementary payments from its disaster relief fund.
Workers who have lost their jobs because of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic can qualify for the funds for at least three weeks, dating back to Aug. 1, Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) officials announced Monday.
“The Georgia Department of Labor will deliver a system meeting the new FEMA guidelines to process these weekly supplements as quickly as possible,” GDOL Commissioner Mark Butler said in a statement. “We will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Labor, FEMA, and Gov. (Brian) Kemp’s office to provide financial support for Georgians during this pandemic.”
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 8 that sets aside $44 billion from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund for states to replace a previously expired program.
While the preceding Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) provided workers with $600 a week for 13 weeks, Congress did not make a decision on the course of the program before it sunset at the end of July.
Trump’s initial order required states to cover 25 percent of $400 weekly payments, but guidance issued later allowed states to count current regular benefits as their $100 share.
“This news is truly life-changing for hardworking Georgians in every part of our state, and we deeply appreciate the Trump administration’s leadership to help us provide timely unemployment assistance to families weathering the economic impact of this pandemic,” Kemp said.
Although Trump’s program will expire on Dec. 26, the payments are guaranteed only for three weeks. Any additional compensation will depend on what’s left in the FEMA fund and the state’s needs. The payments will cease if Congress approves a new supplementary program.
From the week ending March 31 through Aug. 15, GDOL processed 1.5 million valid unemployment claims.
Georgians have received $12.5 billion in unemployment benefits since March 21, including 89 percent of the state’s $2.5 billion trust fund.
For the past four weeks, claims have consistently stayed below 100,000. For the week ending Aug. 15, initial claims were 58,099.
“In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to work closely with our federal partners to ensure economic stability in every region and protect the lives and livelihoods of Georgians,” Kemp said.
