Jason Doucette

Governor Lamont today announced that he plans to sign an executive order that expands eligibility to the federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program for Connecticut residents who did not initially qualify for the program.

Due to a federal rule requiring claimants receive at least $100 per week in unemployment benefits to receive the additional LWA funding, approximately 38,000 residents were excluded from the program when it ran over six weeks late last summer. Governor Lamont’s executive order will retroactively and temporarily increase weekly unemployment benefits to $100 for most of these 38,000 residents, allowing them to qualify for the program.

LWA was in effect from July 26 through September 5 and offered $300 in additional weekly funding to claimants who were unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and who had a minimum weekly benefit of $100 or more. Expanding access to the program will cost the UI Trust Fund an average of $43 per week per claimant. That “plus up” from the state will bring in approximately $55 million in Lost Wages Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency – a seven to one federal match. That money is expected to generate $115 million of economic activity and provide small businesses across the state with a much-needed boost in consumer spending.

In order to receive the LWA benefits, claimants must certify that they were unemployed due to COVID for the weeks covered by Lost Wages Assistance. They will receive information and instructions by mail and email directly from the Connecticut Department of Labor beginning the week of December 7, 2020. LWA benefits and the supplemental state payments are taxable income.

For example, if a claimant has a weekly benefit amount of $60, they will receive six payments of $40 to their account. They do not have to apply for these funds. That “plus up” will allow them to then qualify for the LWA program. They must certify that they were unemployed for any (or all) of the six weeks of the Lost Wages Assistance program. A few days after they complete the certification, they will see up to six additional deposits (one per eligible week), each for $300, in their account.

The executive order will also relieve reimbursing employers from charges for the additional funds needed to get claimants to the $100 threshold. Contributing employers have already been relieved of charges under Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7W.

In September I led a group of my colleagues from the House Democratic Caucus to bring attention to this issue and ask the Governor and the State DOL to make the investment and provide the tools necessary to make this happen.  I am happy to now see it come to fruition - It will help a tremendous amount of Connecticut families and put more money back into our economy.

Weekly Update to Connecticut’s Travel Advisory

The State of Connecticut’s travel advisory – which directs incoming travelers from states and territories with a significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period – is remaining the same this week as no locations are being added or removed. The list is updated once per week every Tuesday.

The requirement to quarantine applies to any person traveling into Connecticut from one of the impacted locations. Impacted locations include those – other than the neighboring states of New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island – that have a positive case rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or higher than a 10 percent test positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average, and countries for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice.\

Anyone arriving to Connecticut from any of the impacted locations is required to complete a travel health form upon their arrival. The form can be filled out online at ct.gov/travelform.

For the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions, visit ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.