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Tennessee to pay $300 more a week in jobless benefits; aid only half of previous payment

FILE - In this July 15, 2020, file photo, job seekers exercise social distancing as they wait to be called into the Heartland Workforce Solutions office in Omaha, Neb. The extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits has expired, the federal eviction moratorium has ended and federal money to help businesses retain workers has grown lean. Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on and there is no consensus from Washington on another relief package. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
FILE - In this July 15, 2020, file photo, job seekers exercise social distancing as they wait to be called into the Heartland Workforce Solutions office in Omaha, Neb. The extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits has expired, the federal eviction moratorium has ended and federal money to help businesses retain workers has grown lean. Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on and there is no consensus from Washington on another relief package. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File) FILE - In this July 15, 2020, file photo, job seekers exercise social distancing as they wait to be called into the Heartland Workforce Solutions office in Omaha, Neb. The extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits has expired, the federal eviction moratorium has ended and federal money to help businesses retain workers has grown lean. Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on and there is no consensus from Washington on another relief package. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

By Dave Flessner 4 min read

Tennessee will soon provide an additional $300 per week in federal assistance to workers who are unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic this month.

The extra funds will make up only half of what was being paid prior to August and it is still unclear when the funds will be distributed to unemployed Tennesseans who qualify for the jobless benefits. But state officials promised Monday they are working diligently to get the payment system in place and hope it will be quicker than when the first round of additional $600 weekly federal supplemental aid was offered to those losing their jobs during the pandemic.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is still building the new program to pay the Lost Wage Benefits that President Trump agreed to provide through the disaster relief program offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). About half of the states have gotten approval for the initial FEMA payments, and it is unclear how long they will last before the $44 billion allocated for the relief is used up.

“Work on the latest federal unemployment program started during the application process and that proactive move will speed up the implementation of LWA (Lost Wage Assistance) in Tennessee,” said Chris Cannon, assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “At this time, there is no definitive start date as to when the state will begin dispersing the additional weekly benefit.”

Last week, John P. Pallasch, assistant secretary for employment and training at the U.S. Department of Labor, said it could take some states up to six weeks to figure out how to get a program up and running in some states.