CT DOL: CT Approved for Two Additional Weeks of Lost Wages Assistance

The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) recently announced that Connecticut has been approved for an additional two weeks of Lost Wages Assistance supplemental benefits funded by $44 billion in federal Stafford Act disaster relief. This program will provide an additional $300 per week for any claimant who has a weekly benefit of at least $100 (including the dependency allowance) and who has become unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19.

Payments are expected to be made starting mid-September and will be retroactive to July 26.

The first payment will be $300, with the remainder of retroactive payments following in separate payments. The benefits are available for a total of 5 claim weeks (July 26, August 2,9,16 and 23).

Self-Certification Required

• Existing PUA beneficiaries have already self-certified and do not need to do anything else to receive this additional benefit.
• Other new and existing UI beneficiaries are required to self-certify and will be receiving notification from DOL that they are eligible and may self-certify when the program is open.
• DOL is in the process of testing the self-certification process.

Self-Certification Process

• Claimants log in to their unemployment account, where the account main page offers a new option in the menu ‘Certify for Lost Wages Assistance;’
• Once a claimant has clicked on the button, a new screen will ask them to certify that their unemployment or underemployment is due to COVID-19;
• The claimant then confirms their submission and has completed the process.

Federal eligibility guidelines:

• Recipients of at least $100 per week, including the dependency allowance, of any of the following benefits for the week they are seeking unemployment benefits;
• Claimants receiving unemployment compensation including state and federal workers and former service members as well as those receiving Pandemic
• Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Extended Benefits, or High Extended Benefits;
• Claimants who are part of the Shared Work program, and;
• Workers with a Trade Readjustment Allowance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will terminate the program once available federal funding is exhausted or if the federal government passes legislation that replaces the program. The program is expected to provide $375M additional unemployment benefits to Connecticut claimants.

The agency estimates that about 250,000 claimants will be eligible for funding. CTDOL will continue to release updates as they become available on the CTDOL Federal Supplements webpage.