HELENA — Montana has begun paying an additional $300 to individuals on unemployment during the pandemic.
The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) is able to offer the Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit through the passage of the recent federal legislation the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020.
DLI began paying the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Benefit (FPUC) benefit on Tuesday, Jan. 5. $3.2 million in FPUC payments were made at that time.
Under the legislation, all eligible claimants will receive the additional $300 per week unemployment payment. FPUC benefit payments are fully federally-funded and the funds are added to the recipient’s state weekly benefit amount.
The payment will be available for eligible claims from the UI week ending Jan. 2, 2021, through the week ending March 13, 2021.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides unemployment benefits to the self-employed and others affected by COVID-19 and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) for those who have exhausted their UI claims will also be accepted through March 13, 2021, with final payments on continued claims ending April 10, 2021.
There are currently thousands of available jobs in Montana, more information about opportunities and how to file for unemployment can be found at montanaworks.gov.
