Illinois unemployment benefits
Illinois Department of Unemployment is one of the latest states to file for the FEMA assistance to help the states economy.
Governor Pritzker spoke out about the LWA program, saying that it has an unfair advantage.
Previously, under the FPUC program unemployed workers received a 600 aid weekly. The requirements were that the individual receiving benefits had to at least receive 1 dollar a week in unemployment benefits.
Currently, under the new LWA law unemployed workers who receive less then 100 dollars a week will not be eligible for the 300 FEMA aid.
According to ABC 20, State officials said funds for the new program are only made available through a diversion of FEMA disaster relief funding.
With LWA replacing FPUC, Illinois officials are expecting the decrease in eligibility and benefits to decrease economic activity by 20%.
Illinois Unemployment benefits
Pritzker stated, “President Trump’s program will likely cut off the most vulnerable workers, create needless competition among the states for these limited FEMA dollars, and sow more confusion among the unemployed, so I want to caution that those eligible for these dollars will likely encounter frustration and unfairness brought on by the President’s short-sighted and short lived program,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “However, the $300 benefit will provide much needed assistance for those who can get it, too many of whom are facing terrible choices about whether to pay their rent, buy groceries or get medicine. We will do everything in our power to make sure every eligible recipient can participate in this program.”
The states that have been approved for the extra aid are: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
South Dakota is the only state that so far has declined the extra aid.
Illinois unemployment benefits
