Unemployment supplement ends weeks early; funds exhausted

A $300 federal unemployment supplement expected to last to the end of the year is exhausted.

Missourians who make weekly claims for full or partial benefits received the supplement for the the week ending last Saturday, but that was their first and only payment except for retroactive benefits.

The supplement was authorized by an executive order signed Aug. 8 by President Donald Trump after a $600 pandemic unemployment supplement program ended on July 31. The program was funded by a $44 billion disaster relief fund under the management of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, which manages the state's unemployment compensation program, touted the state's speed in accessing the funds in two news releases on Aug. 24 and Aug. 26. The first public notice that no additional payments would be made was an update to the department's questions-and-answers about unemployment during the pandemic.

The department issued a news release shortly after noon on Friday notifying the public that the money is gone.

The labor department stated in the release that it received notification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has notified the state that the federal Lost Wages Assistance has ended.

In the Aug. 26 news release, the department stated the program would end Dec. 27 unless FEMA ran out of money or other federal legislation was passed authorizing a supplement from other funding sources.

The department made retroactive payments for claims before Aug. 26 and this week is paying claims filed for the week ending last Saturday. The department states it paid Missourians $230 million from the program.

Under the program, the extra $300 was paid to anyone who was eligible for at least $100 in regular unemployment benefits.

Check back later for more on this developing story.

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