Amata Welcomes Labor Department Action On CARES Act Unemployment Benefits
Statement
Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming U.S. Department of Labor publication of direction to states and territories for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), an important step in getting this unemployment relief on the way.
"This is a major step in getting unemployment benefits to our people that are in need, including the added $600 checks from the CARES Act," said Aumua Amata. "I want to thank Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia for this effort, and especially Senator Mike Crapo for accepting our special request to ensure American Samoa was included through the definition of "states' in the CARES Act."
Under this plan, "states" -- specifically including Pacific territories and Freely Associated States that otherwise would not have had eligibility -- administer an additional $600 weekly payment to eligible individuals without currently paying jobs. Congress provided for this benefit in Section 2104 of the historic $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020.
The Labor Department has published Unemployment Insurance Guidance Letter 15-20 (UIPL) that provides the structure for the unemployment checks distribution.
To provide assistance to those eligible, the benefit payments may begin as soon as the week after the execution of a signed agreement between the department and the state or territory. The timeline for these payments will vary. As states and territories begin providing this payment, eligible individuals will receive retroactive payments back to their date of eligibility or the signing of the state agreement, whichever came later. The CARES Act specifies that FPUC benefit payments will end after payments for the last week of unemployment before July 31 of this year.
"The $600 weekly unemployment compensation boost included in the CARES Act will provide valuable support to American workers and their families during this challenging time," said Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia.
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