State of Maryland applies for additional $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan announced on Monday that the state of Maryland has applied for the Lost Wages Assistance grant, which would provide an additional $300 per week to Marylanders who are currently unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Once the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) approves the application, the Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance will coordinate with the U.S. Department of Labor and FEMA to program, implement, and distribute funds, which is expected to begin in late September.

Eligible individuals will receive the $300 per week in benefits retroactive to the week ending August 1, 2020 and ending no later than December 26, 2020. To qualify for the additional $300 per week, claimants must be eligible for a weekly benefit amount of at least $100 and must self-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19. Those eligible will not have to file a new application to receive LWA benefits.

Through guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor, FEMA will fund the $300 per week benefit and Maryland will fulfill the 25% state match through funding that is already paid to claimants in regular unemployment insurance benefits. Officials say the terms of the program may be subject to change if the FEMA funding is exhausted or the federal government enacts a new law providing supplemental federal unemployment compensation, or similar compensation, for unemployed or underemployed individuals due to COVID-19.