$ 300 unemployment increase issued in California, New York and other states

A handful of states have started giving a weekly increase of $ 300 to unemployment benefits or have signaled workers will receive payments starting this week. Others expect help to start later this month.

Workers in Arizona, California, New York and Rhode Island will receive the first batch of improved payments this week, according to state labor agencies. California and New York are the No. 1 and 2 states, respectively, in terms of the number of workers receiving unemployment benefits.

Connecticut and Washington state aim to pay the supplement starting in mid-January, officials said.

Workers in California received the weekly supplement of $ 300 as early as Sunday, according to the state’s Department of Employment Development.

However, the first installment is only available to the 1.3 million Californians who receive regular state benefits or assistance through the federal-state Extended Duration program, which intervenes during times of high unemployment, said. the agency.

Benefits will be delayed for others – nearly 3 million people – until “revised programming is in place” for expanded federal programs, the agency said.

These federal programs include assistance in the event of an unemployment pandemic and an unemployment benefit in the event of an emergency pandemic.

All workers in New York and Rhode Island, including those receiving PUA and PEUC benefits, will begin receiving the $ 300 bonus in addition to this week’s payments, according to state labor officials.

Recipients in Rhode Island will receive the funds as early as Monday, according to Margaux Fontaine, spokesperson for the state Department of Labor and Training.

Arizona residents were able to file a weekly claim for the additional $ 300 starting on Sunday, according to Tasya Peterson, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Economic Security. Payments started flowing this week along with workers’ regular benefits, she said.

Connecticut labor officials expect to start paying the $ 300 increase by mid-January, according to a statement released Tuesday by Governor Ned Lamont and Kurt Westby, the state’s labor commissioner.

Washington state plans to issue two-week payments on Jan.15, according to information on the state’s unemployment website. It typically takes a few days for banks to process payments after they are issued, the agency said.

The New Jersey Department of Labor has reprogrammed its systems to administer the $ 300 benefit and will begin distribution soon, once user testing is successfully completed, according to spokesperson Angela Delli-Santi.

The weekly supplement of $ 300 follows two more enacted during the coronavirus pandemic: a stipend of $ 600 per week under the CARES law until July, and a subsequent weekly payment of $ 300 for lost wages. offered for up to six weeks until early September.

While some states have been able to disburse this aid quickly, many have taken several weeks or even months to do so.