$300 in extra unemployment benefits on the way for some out-of-work Missourians

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Missouri is one of 30 states that gained federal approval to begin dispersing an additional $300 a week in unemployment benefits to some out-of-work Americans, and the checks could arrive even by the end of the week, retroactive to Aug. 1.

The funds, drawn from a $44 billion fund in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are part of a series of executive orders by President Donald Trump. States have to pay 25% of the cost of delivering the benefits, a cost not covered by FEMA.

The funds are only half of the $600 weekly benefit in federal stimulus funds that expired earlier this summer, and only workers that currently receive at least $100 of weekly state aid are eligible for the aid.

MarketWatch reports that nearly 1 million Americans who receive less than $100 a week would be ineligible for the add-on benefit, according to Eliza Forsythe, a labor economist and assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Eligible recipients also must self-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri’s Department of Labor reports. Eligile recipients who self-certified when they filed their initial claim do not need to take any action because the state will automatically add the $300 to their weekly benefit amount.

Out-of-work Missourians who did not indicate they were unemployed due to COVID-19 and meet the other eligibility requirements will receive either e-mail or mailed correspondence from the Division of Employment Security by the end of next week on their potential eligibility for the extra benefits.

The retroactive payments to Aug. 1 will be distributed separately, the state announced.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the approval of the benefits — the Lost Wages Assistance program — earlier this week.

“Many families across our state are in great need during this time, and we are doing all we can to deliver the extra federal assistance provided by the President’s Executive Order to Missourians as soon as possible,” Parson said in a written statement.

“In fact,” he said, “Missouri was one of the very first states to apply for and receive over $200 million in this latest round of federal funding, allowing us to nearly double Missouri’s maximum weekly benefit payment of $320.” 

“While providing this tremendous increase to unemployed workers, we are also taking seriously our responsibility to fund other critical needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Parson said. “Missouri’s budget has taken a substantial hit in recent months, requiring us to carefully target every remaining dollar of our federal emergency assistance funds to support first responders, purchase protective equipment and testing supplies for healthcare workers, and to support teachers and students as they return to school.”