Hundreds of Thousands of Pennsylvanians to Lose Federal Unemployment Aid After This Week

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Federal unemployment assistance ending
Image via NBC10.
Pandemic-related federal unemployment assistance ends the first week of September.

Federal unemployment aid, with its COVID-19 supplementary support, ends next week. Its exit from the household budgets of hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will have significant effects. NBC10 explained the widespread implications.

The cessation of Washington’s financial support includes the extra $300 per week and additional 13 weeks of benefits, as well as benefits for the self-employed.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said there are additional sources of help for those who will still need it:

  • Federal rental assistance provided through counties
  • Medicaid
  • Food stamps
  • Temporary cash-assistance available to low-income families.

According to the state Department of Labor and Industry, during the first week of August, approximately 640,000 Pennsylvania were receiving the extra $300. Around 388,000 received these benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for freelancers or the self-employed. Nearly 175,000 were utilizing the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program to receive an extra 13 weeks of help.

Around 78,000 people were receiving benefits through Pennsylvania’s 26-week unemployment compensation program. This will continue to run as before the pandemic, but without the added $300 federal benefit.

The federal benefits were expanded by the American Rescue Plan Act, signed by President Joe Biden in March, which set them to expire the first week of September.

Read more about the federal unemployment aid at NBC10.

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