Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) said Monday they aim to start issuing a new $300 unemployment insurance supplement to recipients “within the next few weeks.”
DWD spokesperson Grace Kim said in an email Monday evening that agency officials have several meetings scheduled this week with the U.S. Department of Labor to gather additional information about what is required to implement the latest version of the program, known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).
DWD officials hope to begin testing the program this week, Kim said, and begin sending out the supplements within the next few weeks. But Kim cautioned that timeline is subject to change based on new guidance the department could receive from federal officials, and if any technical issues come up when the department is testing the program.
FPUC was one of three unemployment programs created by Congress in March as part of the first coronavirus aid bill. Initially, it added an extra $600 to weekly benefits for most people on unemployment. That version of the program ended July 25 in Wisconsin.
In October, DWD began paying out a $300 weekly unemployment supplement created by the Trump administration. That program, known as Lost Wages Assistance, lasted six weeks before ending in Wisconsin in early September.