Extra $600 A Week Expires, 2M In PA In Limbo: What's Next?

HARRISBURG, PA — As lawmakers continue to discuss the details of the second coronavirus relief bill, the additional $600 unemployment benefit allotted to those whose work has been affected by the pandemic has expired for Pennsylvania residents.

That means approximately 2 million people in the state who have been relying on that extra money are in limbo unless and until the federal assistance program is renewed.

As of late July, Pennsylvania residents have received more than $13.8 billion in funds from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which expired on July 25.

According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry 2,083,157 unemployment claims have been determined to be eligible for the extra $600 in federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Lawmakers in Washington are at odds over the next round of funding to assist the public during the pandemic. The $600 a week payment has become a point of contention between the parties, with Republicans supporting a lower sum to supplement the income of those who've been laid off due to the coronavirus.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Senate Republicans are proposing a plan to cut the payment by $400 — from $600 to $200 a week — until states can implement a system that would pay recipients 70 percent of their pre-layoff income. The new formula would be in place within two months under the GOP plan, the Post reported.

House Democrats have proposed extending the full $600 payment until January, saying the approach is the easiest for state unemployment offices to administer.

In addition to the federal unemployment assistance, the GOP-backed plan includes another round of $1,200 stimulus checks, as well as funding for schools, according to the Post.

Last week, officials in Pennsylvania touted several state programs under the Department of Labor and Industry and Department of Human Services that could aid those who are bracing to loose that extra unemployment money.

"The additional unemployment funds have been a lifeline that, in many cases, may be keeping people financially stable and able to meet essential needs despite losing employment," DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said in a statement last week. "Without this income, people may not be able to make ends meet."

Miller added that the additional programs "exist to ease difficult times."

Some of these programs include medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Care Works, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania health officials on Monday confirmed 839 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 108,264.

MORE: $600 Federal Coronavirus Benefit Ends Soon, PA Offers Assistance