The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) today announced that over 45,000 UI payments totaling over $45M were issued over the week of April 20 through 24, providing benefits to Montanans impacted by COVID-19. That figure includes both regular UI benefits, and the additional $600 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits established with the passage of the recent federal stimulus package, or CARES Act.
“We know how important these benefits are for providing economic stability for families and communities across Montana,” Acting Commissioner Brenda Nordlund said. “We’re are committed to moving as quickly as possible to get workers the benefits they need during these unprecedented times.
Below is a data breakdown of outgoing Unemployment payments for the week of April 20 through 24:
|
Date Payments Distributed |
Regular UI Benefits |
FPUC Benefits |
Total Payments - $ |
Total # of Payments |
|
20-Apr |
$626,065.49 |
$1,089,600 |
$1,715,665.49 |
1531 |
|
21-Apr |
$11,034,412.99 |
$22,811,296 |
$33,845,708.99 |
35528 |
|
22-Apr |
$1,471,840.52 |
$3,021,900 |
$4,493,740.52 |
4223 |
|
23-Apr |
$937,976 |
$1,956,240 |
$2,894,216 |
2513 |
|
24-Apr |
$838,903.28 |
$1,718,037 |
$2,556,940.28 |
2019 |
|
Total |
$14,909,198.28 |
$30,597,073 |
$45,506,271.28 |
45814 |
These figures do not represent the number of individuals who have received payment. Individual claimants could have two payments in that total, or one payment representing two weeks’ worth of benefits.
Last week, DLI launched a new web portal to accept claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits and expects to begin issuing payments to Montana's self-employed, independent contractors, gig workers, and others not eligible for regular UI benefits by the end of this week.
DLI continues to encourage anyone who believes they may be eligible for UI to file a claim online at MontanaWorks.gov, or at mtpua.mt.gov for those that fall under the PUA eligibility guidelines. Those with technical, eligibility, or benefits questions are encouraged to view the COVID-19 resource website at dli.mt.gov/covid-19. A variety of information for both Montana workers and employers are available, in addition to resources to help claimants navigate the unemployment process.
A landing page for easy access to relevant Labor Market Information, including daily UI claims, is available here: dli.mt.gov/labor-market-information.
