Illinois receives approval for extra $300 in weekly jobless benefits from FEMA

Illinois received approval Tuesday for an extra $300 in weekly federal unemployment benefits authorized by President Donald Trump through an executive order in August.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for doling out the funds, said in a Tuesday news release it approved the state for the Lost Wage Assistance program, which President Trump ordered last month to extend federal jobless benefits after a $600 weekly supplement expired in late July. Trump authorized the use of up to $44 billion from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund for the payments.

The agency said it will work with Gov. J.B. Pritzker to implement a system to pay the benefits. Neither the state nor FEMA immediately responded to a question Wednesday about when jobless workers could expect to begin receiving the payments.

According to FEMA, states approved for the program are guaranteed an initial three weeks of funding, and additional funding will be determined on a weekly basis.

The announcement comes after Illinois officials warned the funds would last only three weeks and leave out about 55,000 low-income claimants who won’t be eligible because of restrictions under the new program, which is limited to those who qualify for at least $100 in weekly unemployment benefits, either through state programs or the federal pandemic assistance program.

As of Tuesday, 44 states have received approval for the benefits, according to FEMA’s website.

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