Governor Mike Dunleavy spoke about Unemployment Insurance benefits alongside Commissioner Tamika Ledbetter of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development during a Monday press briefing. The team said that more money is being made available to support Alaskans, both in unemployment benefits and in the Lost Wages Assistance Program.
The administration said that Alaskans will see a $300 weekly increase on top of their standard unemployment benefits, with Commissioner Tamika Ledbetter clarifying that it will be retroactive to the date when the extra $600 of federal unemployment benefits ended.
Commissioner Ledbetter said that approval has been made to $62,000,000 in FEMA money to support Alaskans: “President Trump had made available up to $44 billion for FEMA’s disaster relief fund. Governor, you gave us the approval to apply for that funding. Alaska did submit the application and we received approval for $62 million. As you know, a press release went out today indicating that we were the recipient of that approval of $19 million. I just want to point out that it’s an upfront payment and that FEMA will pay states as the states make the payments. So, our total ask was approved and I look forward to working with my team and FEMA to ensure that Alaskans receive the support that they need.”
Governor Dunleavy also reminded Alaskans that the ultimate goal behind all of this is to get Alaskans back to work: “As we know, this is a stop-gap as a result of some of the decisions made back in the Spring that impacted businesses and employment. The Commissioner – one of her main jobs is to get folks hooked up with jobs. So, if you’re still looking for a job, I know there are a lot of employers out there that are looking for employees. Please contact our Department of Labor’s office and get on the websites and let’s work at getting you all back to work that want to get back to work, as soon as possible.”
The Department of Labor and Workforce Development can be reached online by clicking here.