Governor Hogan announced that Maryland submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) for the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) grant.
The LWA grant will provide an additional $300 per week to Maryland residents who are unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once Maryland’s grant application is approved, the Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance will coordinate with both the U.S. Department of Labor and FEMA to “program, implement, and distribute” these funds. This process is expected to begin towards the end of September.
From the press release:
“Maryland is doing much better on our health metrics than most of the rest of the country, we are doing much better on our economic recovery than most of the rest of the country, and we want to do whatever it takes to keep it that way,” said Governor Hogan. “But far too many Marylanders are still struggling to make ends meet during this pandemic. With this critical funding, we can help those struggling Marylanders weather this storm, get back on their feet, and recover.”
…
“Our department is grateful for the opportunity to apply for federal funding from FEMA to provide additional financial support to unemployed Marylanders as our state continues to recover from the impact of COVID-19,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson. “While it will take some time to work with the federal administration to implement this new program, all claimants will receive benefit payments retroactive to their earliest date of eligibility within the new program.”
Eligible Marylanders will receive the $300 per week retroactive to the week ending August 1, 2020 and ending no later than December 26, 2020. While there are certain qualifications for eligibility for LWA benefits, claimants will not need to file a new application.
It is important to note that the terms of the LWA program may be subject to change if the federal government enacts a new law providing supplemental federal unemployment compensation due to COVID-19.
Previous Conduit Street coverage: Governors Balk at Trumps Unemployment Benefits Order
