Workforce West Virginia said additional funds are on the way for unemployed residents
At his COVID-19 media-briefing on Monday, West Virginia Governor. Jim Justice announced that Workforce West Virginia is activating the state’s Lost Wages Assistance Program. This program is designed to provide unemployed residents with additional assistance beyond the standard weekly benefits.
On August 8, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders intended to provide financial relief to those severely impacted by the Coronavirus. Through one such order, the President directed FEMA to release additional federal funds to all 50 states in an effort to bolster the unemployment benefits that eligible residents receive.
According to the Federal Committee on Ways and Means, through a joint effort with the US Department of Labor, FEMA has committed $44 billion from the Disaster Relief Fund to state-assistance. FEMA is aggressively dispersing the funds. However, representatives from the agency have stated that once the funds have been exhausted, the Federal contribution will end.
Under the President’s order, $300 in extra funding will be provided to every eligible weekly unemployment certification. States will then each contribute an additional $100, for a total of $400 on top of the standard weekly benefit.
Scott Adkins, acting Director of Workforce West Virginia, also spoke at Monday’s briefing. Adkins stated that FEMA has designated $68.3-million for use by the state of West Virginia. He then went on to say that the additional funds will be paid retroactively from the week ending August 1st, ensuring unemployed residents will receive the extra $400 from the point when the benefits allotted under the CARES Act expired.
Although Adkins was unable to provide an exact date when West Virginians can expect the additional funds, he reiterated that “Workforce is working very hard to get the money out as soon as possible.”
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin criticized FEMA’s involvement with the funds in a statement released late last week.
“This pandemic has had devastating impacts on West Virginia families. I’m hopeful that this funding will make it to the people that are struggling to make ends meet through no fault of their own. But make no mistake – in the middle of hurricane season that has already proven deadly and destructive, this funding is coming from the FEMA disaster relief fund,” Manchin said. “In West Virginia, FEMA has a terrible track record of getting aid to victims of the 2016 flood. We still have schools operating out of trailers and families awaiting FEMA assistance. Given their past performance, I am concerned FEMA is entirely unprepared to effectively execute this entirely new relief program with the speed and efficiency that our struggling families need and deserve. And West Virginians simply can’t wait four years for FEMA to figure out how to distribute unemployment assistance they need today.
“It doesn’t have to be like this. Mitch McConnell sent Congress home instead of working on COVID relief legislation to address the needs of West Virginians. I’m ready to vote on a real relief package that takes care of hard working Americans.”
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