From Staff Reports
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier today announced that thousands of Pennsylvanians will begin receiving an extra $300 per week in unemployment payments starting this week. The extension of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program is part of the federal stimulus that Congress passed last month.
“This boost in unemployment benefits is vital to hardworking Pennsylvania families who have lost their income as a result of the global pandemic,” said Berrier. “I am pleased that L&I was able to work with the federal Department of Labor (DOL) to get the information needed to quickly restart this program and get payments into the pockets of Pennsylvanians in need.”
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An 11th-hour reprieve is contained in the $900 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that extends a Dec. 30 deadline for West Virginia to spend $1.25 billion in federal CARES Act funds. Even with that extension, Gov. Jim Justice said he is confident that all but $30-$39 million of the funds will be spent by yearâs end.
âYou can rest assured the dollars will be spent,â Justice said at the state COVID-19 briefing on Monday.
Thatâs despite having a balance of $751.3 million in the CARES Act account as of Monday, according to the State Auditorâs Office.
At the Friday COVID-19 briefing, Justice and Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy provided details on how the funds will be expended in the final days of 2020. The largest item, $445.7 million, will go to pay unemployment compensation benefits and to create a $315 million balance in the stateâs Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund.