Unemployment benefits: what states have approved extra $300 weekly?
There are 13 states across the US that have now approved an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits that had expired on 31 July.
The weekly $600 in unemployment benefits expired on 31 July and since then millions of Americans have been wondering if there would be either an extension or additional help amid the coronavirus pandemic. Congress failed to reach an agreement about a fifth stimulus relief package causing further delay, potentially until after Labor Day weekend.
While we await a definitive package, 13 states have officially given approval to give an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits. Kentucky was the most recent to approve this weekly payment and they will distribute $44 billion in total funding according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
States that are extending the unemployment benefits
The states that will give an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits are: Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah. Governors in 10 other states are currently debating whether they will give extra aid in unemployment benefits.
It is important to note that not all unemployed Americans are eligible for this help. People getting less than $100 a week in benefits will not be eligible to receive the extra $300. There are more than 28 million people that are depending on these benefits as they strugge financially amid the coronavirus pandemic.