Some jobless NJ residents will get more pandemic checks this fall

Another round of federal money is on the way for New Jersey residents who found themselves out of work late this summer due to the pandemic. New Jersey has begun automatically processing payments for the Lost Wage Assistance program.

People who were unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19 and were eligible for at least $100 in weekly unemployment benefits between the week ending Saturday, Aug. 1, and the week ending Saturday, Sept. 5, are eligible for the LWA program.

The initiative through the FEMA is only for those whose unemployment during that six-week period was coronavirus-related under terms of the memorandum that President Donald Trump issued on Aug. 8.

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development submitted an application for the program in late August, which was approved by FEMA on Sept. 4.

The LWA program is paid through FEMA and is separate from other unemployment programs. It provides an additional $300 per week for up to six weeks of benefits, for a maximum cumulative benefit of $1,800.

The LWA money will be paid in a single, lump-sum payment during the week of October 19th.

For most, there are no additional steps needed in order to receive the payments.

Only those who have not yet certified that their unemployment during that six-week time span was COVID-related must now do so.

The state labor department will be emailing further instructions, which involve logging onto the Check Claim Status application and marking the appropriate box in the "Self-Service Options" section.

State Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo outlined the supplemental payments in an August press release, which noted the LWA program must be "created from scratch" and run separately from New Jersey’s existing state and federal unemployment programs.

More from New Jersey 101.5: