The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) has announced the staggered distribution of funds to claimants of current unemployment insurance programs including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.   The  DLIR received approval to pay six weeks of benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The program will pay $300 a week to all eligible claimants that have a weekly benefit amount of $100 or more in unemployment insurance benefits. The program excludes those with a weekly benefit amount of less than $100.  The extra payment will only be given  for six weeks beginning the week ending August 1 to September 5, 2020.

“Any additional funds to help unemployed workers are welcome – and we estimate that this will provide more than $370 million to families, individuals and our state’s economy,” said DLIR Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio. “It is important to emphasize however, that this benefit is currently time-limited to only a six-week period, between Aug. 1 and Sept. 5, 2020, and not everyone who has filed an unemployment claim will be eligible.”

Benefits generally take three business days to be deposited after issuance by the DLIR. Starting this week, a week’s worth of benefits will go out every week and for the next five weeks as follows:

 

Sept. 23, 24, 25                      Payment for week ending August 1, 2020

 

Sept 29, and Oct. 1, 2            Payment for week ending August 8, 2020

 

Oct. 6, 7, 8                              Payment for week ending August 15, 2020

 

Oct. 13, 14, 15                        Payment for week ending August 22, 2020

 

Oct. 20, 21, 22                        Payment for week ending August 29, 202

 

Oct. 27, 28, 29                        Payment for week ending September 5, 2020

 

Individuals with pending issues preventing payment will not receive the additional $300 per week if they are allowed benefits after the program has ended.

There’s more information about the Lost Wages Assistance program at http://labor.hawaii.gov/ui/main/faq-lost-wages-assistance-lwa/.

The State of Hawaiʻi is not allowed to use CARES Act or any local funds to supplement those individuals with a weekly benefit amount of less than $100 to make them eligible for the program pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum.