Governor Walz Announces Approval of Lost Wages Assistance Application

Statement

Today, Governor Tim Walz announced that Minnesota has received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program.

LWA provides a temporary additional $300 per week benefit to Minnesotans receiving unemployment benefits. To be eligible, an applicant must have a weekly unemployment benefit amount of at least $100 and must be unemployed due to COVID-19.

"I am glad that Minnesotans receiving unemployment benefits will receive an additional $300 a week to help make ends meet during this crisis," said Governor Walz. "We will continue to use every resource at our disposal to help Minnesotans through this pandemic."

"This extra $300 per week will matter for Minnesotans and their families. I'm glad we took the steps to make this happen for Minnesotans," said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. "But an extra $300 per week is not a reflection of the entirety of the burden this pandemic has put on Minnesotans. We hope that our federal partners will continue to work to provide relief for Minnesotans and other Americans need."

"With our application approved, we'll move quickly to get Minnesotans this assistance," said Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove. "We know how important these benefits are to so many workers who are unemployed due to the pandemic."

Those currently receiving unemployment benefits do not need to reapply or do anything other than complete their weekly benefits request to receive the additional $300 a week. DEED Unemployment Insurance will review all payment requests made for the week of July 26 going forward and automatically pay applicants who are eligible for LWA.

DEED anticipates the program will last between five to eight weeks. Applicants can visit https://www.uimn.org/lwa for more information.

Source