On Sept. 3, the Division of Employment Security (DES) began issuing payments for Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) to eligible North Carolinians, less than four weeks after federal officials announced the program on Aug. 8.
LWA is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide $300 per week to supplement unemployment benefits for those who have an unemployment benefit amount of at least $100 a week and are out of work due to COVID-19.
DES expects initial funds to provide LWA for the benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020.
Additional funding for the program will be determined by FEMA on a weekly basis. DES will continue to apply for additional weeks of benefits as long as federal funding remains available and the program remains in place.
LWA is one of six programs DES is currently administering. Since March 15, the agency has paid a total of more than $7.2 billion in assistance to more than 875,000 North Carolinians.
More information about Lost Wages Assistance can be found at des.nc.gov.
