SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 8, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Department of Workforce Services has announced that a $600 stimulus payment as part of the CARES Act is now available to Utahns.
People who are eligible for unemployment insurance benefits will now receive an additional $600 from the federal government as part of their weekly benefits payment through the last week of July 2020, said a news release from the department.
“The dedicated staff of the Unemployment Insurance Division continue to stand out nationwide,” said Jon Pierpont, executive director of the Department of Workforce Services. “I am proud of the work they do each day during these historic times to provide critical resources to Utahns.”
If a person has filed for or is receiving unemployment benefits, there is no additional action needed to receive the $600 stimulus payment beyond filing their weekly claims, the news release said. The benefit will be included as part of their traditional unemployment benefit payments moving forward. The benefit will be retroactively provided to people who received an unemployment benefit during the week of March 29 through April 4, and those that have already received a payment this week. These retroactive payments may take several days to process.
“Despite unprecedented demands on our staff and system, the Unemployment Insurance Division continues to process claims while implementing this new benefit,” explained Kevin Burt, Unemployment Insurance Division director for the Department of Workforce Services.
“Our priority is getting Utahns the benefits they are in need of in as timely a manner as possible.”
Additional information and resources are available at jobs.utah.gov/covid19 for people navigating this process. The department asks that people continue to apply online and file their weekly claim. If there is an issue or any question about their claim, the Department of Workforce Services will contact them, there is no need for them to contact the department. More information will be provided soon regarding the other federal stimulus programs as the department actively works to implement them.
The stimulus of additional $600 per week has still not been activated to my unemployment claim. 4/13/2019 Any idea when the weekly payout amount will be adjusted to the increased payout? This should also add 13 weeks to the unemployment timeline.