MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development on Friday applied for federal funding that could add $300 to the weekly unemployment benefits received by eligible residents.
The grant application is for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Lost Wages Assistance Program, a disaster relief intuitive that includes assistance to workers who have lost jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are many Wisconsinites who are still out of work and need additional financial assistance during this difficult time,” DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman said in a news release. “DWD has already begun setting up the program to ensure claimants receive these supplemental benefit payments as quickly as our technology can accommodate.”
A temporary federal assistance program that had provided eligible claimants an additional $600 in weekly unemployment benefits expired on July 31. Wisconsin’s maximum weekly unemployment benefit is $370. When combined with the new program, the maximum possible benefit in Wisconsin will be $670 per week, before tax withholding, and will be retroactive to the week ending August 1.
For more information on Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program, please visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/ui/.
