States are starting to take action around an extra $300 weekly unemployment benefit being offered by the federal government.
Kentucky and Montana, for example, are giving $400 instead of the prevailing $300. Some states expect weeks to go by before workers receive the assistance, while Arizona started paying it this week.
The speed with which the payments arrive will partly depend on when — or even if — states apply with the federal government to offer the “lost wages” assistance. Then, their application must be approved.
The more than 28 million people collecting unemployment benefits are likely wondering: What is my state’s status?
Here’s a map of where things stand.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is overseeing program funding, had approved 13 states to offer the extra unemployment benefits as of around noon ET on Friday.
Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah.
Seven others — Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Texas, and West Virginia have applied— a FEMA spokeswoman said Thursday.
Officials in around 10 other states have signaled their intent to apply for aid in recent days. South Dakota has said it will not apply for the subsidy.
States approved for aid are guaranteed just three weeks of funding, with payments backdated to the week ended Aug. 1. However, they may get more aid, depending on how many states apply and how quickly the money is drawn down.
Not all unemployed workers are eligible for the payments. Those currently getting less than $100 a week in unemployment benefits won’t receive the assistance — amounting to thousands of people, and perhaps more than 1 million.