States Ramping up Jobless Benefits Tested by Covid-19 Surge

The Senate-passed coronavirus stimulus package would dramatically inflate the nation’s unemployment insurance system, creating challenges for states to efficiently disburse checks to the 3.28 million new jobless claim filers last week.

The House is now under pressure to quickly vote on a $2 trillion bill featuring massive expansions of state unemployment compensation programs. That would cover an emergency hike of $600 per week for each UI check over the next four months; a 13-week extension of benefits eligibility; a jobless aid program for self-employed workers and independent contractors who can’t find work due to the virus; financial incentives for states ...