A new payment for the unemployed was authorized. The amount will be distributed to “eligible Floridians during the weeks ending August 1, August 8, and August 15, 2020”.
DeSantis announced that the Tallahassee-based Department of Economic Opportunities (DEO) “is ready to start paying the Federal Lost Wage Assistance Program to eligible Florida residents.”
A fair new payment for all
Those who receive less than $100 for unemployment, the federal assistance guide notes, “do not qualify for additional aid.”
If you are one of those who must receive the additional value, you do not need to request it or contact the state agency. The amount will be deposited directly into your bank account.
This interim additional benefit comes from president Donald Trump’s authorized federal “lost wages” program, which allows states to use a portion of FEMA’s n disaster relief fund to pay additional unemployment benefits.
The state labor authority recalls that “the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented number of Florida workers to experience layoffs, reduced hours, and temporary suspension of employment,” so the unemployment network “was initially overwhelmed by the large volume of applications.”
Meanwhile, the state “frequently updates the program and its rules” to provide the help permitted by law.
Changes applied to include:
- Creating a new mobile-optimized website for online apps
- Exemption from one-week delay for payments, job search requirement, and job registration requirement
- Expansion of certain federal benefits to self-employed workers, contractors, and other workers
- Offer paper printed applications to Florida residents without Internet access
According to the latest data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in early August, some 10,455,400 in Florida reported in February, some 1,124,000 receive unemployment benefits.
