The last federally enhanced $300 weekly unemployment payment boosts will go out on the week ending July 31st.
Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates said a Legislative agreement signed by the Governor will end the benefits about a month before they were set to expire.
“That means all enhanced federal CARES benefits, that’s the $300 plus up, plus the 1099 and gig workers, so it ends the federal CARES ARP benefit,” said Cates.
About 147,000 Louisianans were still receiving the federally boosted payments as of this week.
In exchange for the premature end of the federally boosted payments starting next year weekly state unemployment benefits will increase $28 to a $275 weekly maximum.
“We were the third lowest in the nation, and we were hoping prior to COVID to get that amount up, so now we are getting that amount up,” said Cates.
The agreement came after a major push from business groups who felt the benefits were making it harder for them to hire workers as the economy reopened. Opponents argue some industries hadn’t recovered enough to warrant ending the program early.
Since the CARES Act went into effect in March of 2020 LWC has distributed about nine billion dollars in state and federal benefits to 900,000 Louisianans.
“It has been something that I think has been a godsend to individuals and something that has kept local economies going,” said Cates.
If you’re looking for a job visit laworks.net or attend the statewide job fair set for August 4th.