PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Employment Department started issuing $300 weekly payments on Wednesday to Oregonians who were unemployed from July 26 through September 5.
The additional benefits come from FEMA's Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program. Only people who were unemployed from July 26 through September 5 are eligible to receive the payment. Those who qualify will get $300 for each week they were unemployed during that time frame.
"I am pleased to announce that Oregonians will soon receive their LWA payments. We appreciate their patience, especially as these past few weeks have been incredibly stressful," said David Gerstenfeld, acting director for the Oregon Employment Department (OED).
In a press release, the OED said LWA payment will be issued to eligible recipients immediately via their current method of payment. Those who receive their funds through electronic deposit, via direct deposit or ReliaCard, will see the funds within three business days, according to the OED.
(Story continues below)
Once the current round of payments goes out, benefits will be issued each day to eligible applicants until the funds run out. It's not too late to certify eligibility for the funds.
"There is no cut-off date for self-certification; however, since funds are limited, the Employment Department encourages claimants who have not certified to do so immediately," the OED said.
Who is eligible?
The OED says Oregonians automatically qualify for this program if they:
- Received unemployment benefits from July 26, 2020, through Sept. 5, 2020; and
- Self-certify they were unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. This will require a new step for claimants currently receiving regular unemployment benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Extended Benefits (EB). Individuals receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) will not need to certify because they already did so when they first applied for benefits.
To self-certify, use the Online Claim System.