On August 8, 2020, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum authorizing additional unemployment insurance benefits through the Lost Wages Act (LWA). Claimants will receive supplemental benefits from the federal government, backdated to August 1, 2020 and likely to continue through the end of the year. The NY Department of Labor has advised claimants to continue certifying weekly and has noted it will process any additional benefits whenever the state receives them.
The VOLS Unemployed Workers Project is actively monitoring what the LWA will mean for New Yorkers, including when the benefits will begin and how much claimants will receive weekly. We will update this notice with more information as we learn more about this new program.
Update: September 11, 2020
The NY Department of Labor recently announced that the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program will begin making payments to qualified New Yorkers on September 14, 2020.
Further information on the LWA:
- The LWA will provide an additional $300 in weekly benefits to unemployed New Yorkers.
- Recipients of both traditional unemployment and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) will qualify for the program.
- Approximately 2 million New Yorkers pre-qualify for LWA payments and will be notified of their qualification via email and/or text message on September 11, 2020.
- Approximately 435,000 New Yorkers may not immediately pre-qualify, but can submit additional qualifications for the program.
Additional resources from the NY Department of Labor:
- Press statement from the NY Department of Labor
- FAQ on the program in English and in Spanish (PDF)
For more information on the Unemployed Workers Project, you can find it on our page. You can apply for assistance on an unemployment matter by calling us at (347) 521 5720 or filling in our online in-take form here.