Colorado approved for Lost Wages Assistance program to provide extra $300 per week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Unemployed people and workers in Colorado who have had wages cut because of COVID-19 are now eligible to get a little extra help that will start being paid out soon.

We reported when the Colorado Department of Labor applied for a program that provides an extra $300 per week for those whose wages were affected by COVID-19. The money comes from FEMA under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.

But while the state hoped to get 13 weeks worth of extra financial assistance, only three weeks of funding has been awarded so far. The money is expected to start being doled out in mid-September.

Colorado is one of only a handful of states who have submitted applications to FEMA so far, and FEMA is waiting to see how many states apply before allowing states to request additional weeks.

The vast majority of people who are currently receiving unemployment benefits are eligible for the extra $300 per week. The Colorado Department of Labor says only about 6$ of claimants are ineligible for the extra money. The state hasn't yet decided if it will pay individuals the weekly $100 under the federal program.

Claimants don't need to do anything to get the extra benefits, according to the state.