August 18, 2020

USA: Here’s When $300 A Week Enhanced Unemployment Benefits President Trump Executive Order May Start. This Was A Temporary Measure To Help Americans Until Congress Passes A Relief Bill.

CLICK HERE to track every state's implementation of the FEMA LWA President Trump's executive order providing up to $400 per week additional unemployment benefits.
I want to point out that U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made clear last week and I quote,

"On mostly every single other issue we've reached an agreement. We've said let's pass legislation on the things we agree on and knock these off one at a time and they've refused to do that until they get their TRILLION DOLLARS for the states. We've told the American people we'll keep it at $600 while we negotiate for a week or two. They refused to do that. But let me just also say we offered to continue to pay $600 while we negotiate and the Democrats turned that down. Actually Chris we extended it to two weeks but they made perfectly clear they're not going to agree on a piecemeal deal."

Americans currently depending on unemployment insurance benefit payments to survive could have at least received $1,200 IMMEDIATELY ($600 times two weeks added to unemployment benefit) to help cover living expenses and other bills. Instead, the Democrats said screw Americans we are holding out until President Trump agrees to bail out Democrat run states that were already in bad financial shape before the Covid19 pandemic. The Democrats are demanding $1 TRILLION dollars for the states bailout.

AND ONE MORE THING. President Trump's Enhanced Unemployment EO will cover about a month of additional weekly unemployment payments. Well, the Democrats are returning to vote on a Postal Service bill this Saturday NOT the Pandemic Financial Relif Bill for Americans. So, AT LEAST Americans will receive some respite UNTIL the Democrats agree to pass the bill that Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin  have successfully negotiated for items on list BOTH PARTIES HAVE ALREADY AGREED ON. Americans depending on unemployment insurance benefits will receive MONEY NOW, not at some unknown later date after all has been lost. (emphasis mine)
Forbes.com
written by Zack Friedman
Tuesday August 18, 2020

When do the $300 weekly unemployment benefits start?

Here’s what you need to know - and what it means for you.

Unemployment Benefits

According to a new memo from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the $300 enhanced weekly unemployment benefits will not be available until late August. Unemployed Americans have been waiting for supplemental weekly unemployment benefits since the $600 a week enhanced unemployment benefits expired in late July. Congress did not finalize a stimulus bill or pass standalone legislation to extend the weekly unemployment benefits, which left millions of Americans without the supplemental weekly check that Congress approved through the Cares Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus packaged passed in March. Currently, Congress is on summer recess and likely will not pass a stimulus bill, if Congress passes a stimulus bill, until at least September.

Last week, after weeks of failing to secure a stimulus deal, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would have provided $400 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits. However, the $400 benefit was contingent upon states funding 25%, or $100. Later, the U.S. Labor Department said that states could apply their current state unemployment benefits toward the 25% share, which effectively reduced the weekly unemployment benefit to $300 instead of $400. To date, no state government has agreed to fund the supplemental $100.

What date will unemployment benefits start?

There is not a universal date that supplemental unemployment benefits will begin in your state. According to the FEMA memo, the U.S. Labor Department estimates an average of three weeks from August 8, 2020, which implies an average start date of August 29, 2020. For reference, Trump signed the presidential memorandum on unemployment benefits on August 8, 2020.
Once your state gets approved by FEMA, your enhanced unemployment payments will be retroactively paid to you back to August 8th. (emphasis mine)
Are these unemployment benefits first come, first served?

While these weekly unemployment will be federal benefits, each state must apply for a grant to receive the funding. FEMA says that “approved grant applicants will receive an initial obligation of three weeks of needed funding.” After this period, additional disbursements will be made on a weekly basis. This suggests that states will receive at least three weeks of guaranteed funding, but that any future funding will only be week to week.

How long will these unemployment benefits last?

These unemployment benefits are not unlimited. So, it’s possible that you may still be unemployed and no longer receive these supplemental benefits. These federal unemployment benefits will be available until the earlier of:
  1. FEMA spends $44 billion from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF); or
  2. The total unobligated balance of the DRF decreases to $25 billion; or
  3. Congress passes legislation for supplemental federal unemployment benefits, or
  4. December 27, 2020.
Who is eligible to receive these unemployment benefits?

It’s important to read the fine print. Not everyone will be eligible for these supplemental weekly unemployment benefits. To qualify, you must be eligible to receive at least $100 of weekly unemployment benefits from August 1, 2020 from an existing unemployment program such as state unemployment or other pandemic unemployment compensation programs, for example. You also need to self-certify through your state that you are unemployed or partially unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Are these the only unemployment benefits available?

No. These are federal unemployment benefits that are supplemental to existing state unemployment benefits. You can still collect traditional unemployment benefits through the state where you last worked. Here are a few examples:
  • State Unemployment Benefits: In most states, you are paid weekly and can receive unemployment benefits up to half your wages, subject to a maximum benefit. Most states such as New York, California and Texas offer 26 weeks of unemployment benefits through a state-funded unemployment insurance system.
  • Pandemic Compensation: You can still receive up to 39 weeks of unemployment through Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits.
  • Pandemic Unemployment: If your state provides less than 39 weeks of unemployment benefits, you can receive the difference through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).
Will the next stimulus package include unemployment benefits?

Currently, Congress has not reached a stimulus deal, and is not expected to consider the next stimulus bill until at least September when members officially return from summer recess. Importantly, there is no guarantee that there will be another stimulus package. If there is another stimulus bill, supplemental unemployment benefits are a central policy issue. Democrats want to maintain the $600 weekly unemployment benefits that expired in July. Republicans are focused on a 70% wage replacement measure, which would provide supplemental wages based on your income when you were last employed. There are alternative proposals in Congress as well. For example, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and other Senate colleagues proposed a three-month weekly unemployment benefits extension based on a sliding scale of wage replacement. Under Romney’s 80% wage replacement proposal, the wage replacement would be capped at $500 a week in August, $400 a week in September and $300 a week in October. Thereafter, the unemployment benefits would expire. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has a plan to extend unemployment benefits that would base the duration and amount of unemployment benefits in a particular state based on that state’s unemployment rate.
👇 THIS WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY 👇
👇 THIS IS JUST A BONUS 👇
UPDATE 8/18/20 at 5:05pm: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 2:33 PM

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