Jobless Nevadans may not receive next round of additional benefits
Nevada’s unemployment bureau said Wednesday it will not pay eligible filers the sixth round of the $300-a-week Lost Wages Assistance program unless it receives more money from the federal government.
The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said it is waiting to hear back from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on whether Nevada can pay filers the last installment of the six-week LWA program.
“As to any potential of receiving the last week of assistance, unless FEMA approves additional funding to pay for a week 6, there will not be payment for a week 6,” DETR spokeswoman Rosa Mendez said in a statement.
Mendez did not respond to a request for comment about how many Nevadans would be impacted by the agency’s decision; the amount of additional funding that DETR requested; or when the state submitted its request for more LWA funding.
DETR has paid out more than $304.7 million in LWA payments as of Nov. 28, according to data compiled by the agency last week.
The federally funded program provides an extra $300 a week to Nevada residents who receive at least $100 a week in benefits from unemployment insurance or the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in early August that created the LWA program with $44 billion in disaster relief funds diverted from FEMA. Those funds guaranteed states $300 a week to unemployed individuals for three weeks. FEMA later said it will offer an additional three weeks of pay and Nevada applied again for funding.
Nevada asked for and received approval of $224 million to cover three weeks in early September, but the state was approved for only an additional $199 million for the other three weeks.
Contact Jonathan Ng at jng@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ByJonathanNg on Twitter.
