Geoff Luxenberg

The Connecticut Department of Labor Tuesday announced its progress with the Lost Wages Assistance program, set to temporarily help those currently unemployed due to COVID-19. The temporary program will provide an additional $300 per week for any claimant who has a weekly benefit of $100 or more. New claimants will be required to self-certify their eligibility.

Lost Wages Assistance is paid in addition to regular unemployment weekly benefits and will be retroactive to the claim week beginning July 26, 2020. It will also be available for claim weeks beginning August 2, 2020, and August 9, 2020.

The program is due to begin mid-September, claimants will receive information in the mail about how and when to certify. Certification for this program has not yet begun and weekly benefits are not yet being disbursed.

When the program begins, new unemployment claimants and existing state and extended benefits claimants are required to self-certify that they are eligible under the federal guidelines. Existing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants have already self-certified.

Federal Eligibility Guidelines:

• Recipients of at least $100 per week of any of the following benefits for the week they are seeking unemployment benefits;
• Claimants receiving unemployment compensation including state and federal workers and former service members as well as those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Extended Benefits, or High Extended Benefits;
• Claimants receiving Short-Time Compensation; and
• Workers with a Trade Readjustment Allowance.

FEMA will terminate the program once available federal funding is exhausted or if the federal government passes legislation that replaces the program.

If you would like to learn more, check out Lost Wages Assistance frequently asked questions.