Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) paid $625,605,600 out to the Lost Wages Assistance benefits this week to more than 400,000 eligible claimants.
This payout is part of the Lost Wages Assistance program, a temporary federal service designed to ease the burden on people out of work. It provides an extra $300 in unemployment benefits for a six-week period from August 1–September 5.
“These additional funds to help unemployed workers are welcome – providing much needed assistance to Washingtonians and their families during this crisis,” said ESD Commissioner, Suzi LeVine.
“I urge anyone who received benefits during that time to log in to your unemployment account as soon as possible and answer the eligibility question, if you have not yet done so, as you may be entitled to additional money,” Levine said.
The Lost Wages Assistance is not the same as the CARES Act, which paid out $600 per week, which expired at the end of July.
Lost Wages Assistance has different requirements for eligibility and is drawn from a limited pool of money to be shared among all states that apply and are approved.
The Employment Security Department says, combined with the previous payouts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they have given out nearly $10.6 billion in unemployment benefits to Washington residents.
For more information, visit the ESD website here.
