Nebraska to apply for federal lost wages assistance

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska will apply for federal assistance to help workers who were laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing those who qualify to collect an extra $300 per week, state officials announced Friday.

Nebraska is the last state to confirm that it will seek the extra federal aid. Every other state has said it will apply, except for South Dakota, which refused the money.

The payments are a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s lost wages supplemental payment program. People who qualify will receive $300 per week, along with their unemployment benefit, for a limited number of weeks. Once the federal grant funding is exhausted, the program will end.

Only people who are unemployed because of the pandemic will qualify. The program also excludes people who are receiving less than $100 in weekly unemployment benefits.

Nebraska Commissioner of Labor John Albin said his agency is still waiting for federal guidance on how the state can cover the program’s administrative costs. Because of that, he said the timeline for issuing payments is uncertain.

With the new assistance, the maximum benefit available to claimants will be $740 per week for the covered weeks, before taxes.