Statement from the New Jersey Department of Labor on FEMA $300 Payments 

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development successfully distributed $1.2 billion in FEMA payments to 778,000 eligible claimants who received unemployment benefits between Aug. 1 and Sept. 5, the eligibility period for this limited-time federal program. The second round of distribution was completed Wednesday and deposits should have been received in claimants’ accounts Friday or over the weekend.

Since these payments did not exhaust New Jersey’s federal allotment for this benefit, the Labor Department is developing a process for approximately 90,000 remaining claimants who may be eligible but did not attest that their unemployment was COVID-related, as required by federal law. (On March 13, NJDOL added COVID-related reasons for separation from employment on the initial claims application.)

The Labor Department will be in touch with these claimants with instructions as soon as new guidance is available. People identified as potentially eligible will receive an email from ui-noreply@dol.nj.gov (with the name displaying as NJDOL) and/or a text message from 898-211 with instructions.

There is no need to call the Department to ask when you can give an attestation or when this money will be distributed.

FEMA payments by the numbers:

• Total number receiving FEMA payments: 778,309

• Number who previously attested their unemployment was COVID-related who received the FEMA payment automatically: 642,467

• Number who responded to emails, texts and calls from the Labor Department, properly certified their unemployment was COVID-related and received FEMA payment: 135,842 (61 percent of those contacted)

• Number who did not respond to emails, texts and calls from the Labor Department OR who may not be eligible: 88,340 (39 percent of those contacted)

• Total amount distributed: $1.236 billion