ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland has applied for a grant to provide an additional $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits for state residents who are unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday.
Those eligible would receive $300 a week in benefits retroactive to the week ending Aug. 1, the governor’s office said.
To qualify, they must be eligible for a weekly benefit amount of at least $100 and must re-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration would fund the $300-per-week benefit, and Maryland would fulfill a 25% match.
In March, Congress approved a series of emergency changes to the nation’s unemployment insurance system, which is run by state governments.
People who were out of work got an extra federally funded $600 a week, largely because the abrupt recession made finding another job so difficult. The boost expired at the end of July, and recipients have now gone without it for up to three weeks.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 8 to extend the added weekly benefit, but cut it to $300 or $400 a week, depending on which plan governors choose.
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