DLI begins paying federal $300 stimulus benefit
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News from the MT. Dept. of Labor and Industry
HELENA – The Montana Department of Labor & Industry announced that Montana has begun paying the additional $300 Unemployment Insurance benefit established through the passage of the federal Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020.
DLI began paying the benefit on Tuesday, Jan. 5, issuing over $3.2 million in FPUC payments. All eligible claimants will receive the additional $300 per week unemployment payment. FPUC benefit payments are fully federally-funded. The funds are added to the recipient’s state weekly benefit amount. The payment will be available for eligible claims from the UI week ending Jan. 2, 2021, thru March 13, 2021.
Additional major program changes or extensions passed through the Act that Montana is in the process of implementing are:
— The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, provides unemployment benefits to the self-employed and others affected by COVID-19. It remains active until UI week ending March 13, 2021, with final payments on continued claims ending April 10, 2021. Claimants will now have up to 50 weeks of eligibility.
— The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program now provides an additional 11 weeks of benefits, for a total of up to 24 weeks, for those who have exhausted their UI claims. Initial claims will be accepted through March 13, 2021, with final payments on continued claims ending April 10, 2021.
DLI is in the process of completing all program changes under the Continued Assistance Act. The Department will announce by press release, on: dli.mt.gov and social media when all programmatic changes under the new Act are complete. DLI also routinely sends emails to claimants informing them of program changes.
DLI encourages anyone who believes they may be eligible for UI to file a claim online at: MontanaWorks.gov, or at: mtpua.mt.gov for those that fall under the PUA eligibility guidelines. Those with technical, eligibility, or benefits questions are encouraged to view the COVID-19 resource website at: dli.mt.gov/covid-19.
