Unemployed Iowans can no longer expect an extra $300 per week in federal aid, Iowa Workforce Development announced Thursday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Labor notified the state that last week—the week of Sept. 5—was the final week payments would be made for as part of the "Lost Wages Assistance" program.
Iowans who are unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and are eligible for at least $100 in benefits qualified for the program.
IWD says payments will be delivered in the next 10-14 business days.
More information on the program can be found here.
5,689 initial unemployment claims were filed last week in Iowa, a decrease of 225 (3.8%) from the previous week.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs are stuck at a historically high level six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy.
5,077 initial claims for the week of Aug. 30-Sept. 5 were by people who work and live in Iowa, while 612 by individuals who work in Iowa but live outside the state.
$20,169,684.43 in unemployment insurance benefits were paid out last week.
Workforce Development also announced that unemployed Iowans must begin searching for work, a requirement that was previously waived because of the pandemic.
"Those who will be required to begin work searches will be notified by IWD," the agency said in a release. "Not all claimants will be required to begin work searches, including for example, those who are receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits due to a medical condition or lack of childcare."
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Continuing claims for the week were 71,644, a decrease of 4,233 (6.28%) from the previous week.
The following industries had the most claims, according to IWD:
Manufacturing (1,311)
Industry Not Available - Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc. (682)
Accommodation & Food Services (565)
Health Care & Social Assistance (490)
Construction (385)
Additional data released for last week:
- $4,502,400 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits paid, which were retroactive payments as the program ended July 25, 2020. Since April 4, 2020, $1,597,613,743 in FPUC benefits have been paid.
- $4,214,260 paid in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits
- $4,980,813.36 in benefits paid in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits. Since May 27, 2020, a total of $61,596,873.19 in PEUC benefits have been paid.
- $1,006,048.62 in State Extended Benefits paid. Since July 21, 2020, a total of $5,495,277.40 in Extended Benefits have been paid.
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