For Immediate Release
September 11, 2020
Contact: Stacy Johnston
Acting Public Information Officer
505.250.3926
New Mexico issues payments to eligible claimants for Lost Wages Assistance
(Albuquerque, NM) – The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) began processing payments to unemployed workers under the federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program on September 3. New Mexico was one of the first states to apply and be approved for the LWA grant when it was announced 4 weeks ago.
Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), LWA provides $300 per week to supplement unemployment benefits to individuals that meet the eligibility requirements of receiving at least $100 in unemployment benefits per week and self-certifying that they are unemployed, or partially unemployed, as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Mexico received funding for five weeks covering July 26 through August 29. An eligible claimant could receive up to $1,500 in a separate payment from their weekly benefit amount. NMDWS is currently awaiting additional funding from FEMA for a sixth week of LWA payments.
LWA is one of six programs NMDWS is currently administering. Since March 15, the agency has paid a total of more than $2 billion in assistance to more than 200,000 New Mexicans.
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