The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) has disbursed the sixth and final Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) $300 supplemental benefit to unemployment claimants in the Commonwealth. The application for these federal supplemental unemployment benefits was submitted by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), in coordination with the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
The limited additional weekly unemployment benefit to claimants under the federal LWA program went to all eligible claimants for the weeks ending Aug. 1 through Sept. 5. Approximately 461,000 standard unemployment insurance (UI) beneficiaries and 234,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) beneficiaries were determined eligible for LWA during that timeframe. The total amount disbursed to eligible claimants was over $1.3 billion. This program was administered and funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA has informed DUA that no additional LWA payments will be available beyond the six weeks already allotted.
All LWA-eligible unemployment claimants in both the UI and PUA programs should receive the supplemental funding by Sept. 15. If a claimant has questions about eligibility or their payment status they can call the Department of Unemployment Assistance call center at 877-626-6800. The call center is open from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, and 8 a.m.–noon on Saturdays. Multilingual call agents are available. More information about unemployment assistance in Massachusetts can be found at mass.gov/unemployment.