Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told the public this week that the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is gearing up for the federal "Pandemic Unemployment Assistance" program...

Again, the federal program would work with the state to provide the Tennessee benefit and the federal $600 weekly benefit.

The reason this new federal program is so different, is due to the fact that it not only provides an additional $600 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits to eligible people who file a claim - but, it also allows compensation for people not normally eligible for regular unemployment insurance. This includes independent contractors and self-employed workers, and anyone who has exhausted any extensions to unemployment insurance.

Once Tennessee finalizes their side of the new program, the federal benefits of an additional $600 weekly can last up to four months and will be combined with the states' unemployment package. Furthermore, laid off workers in most states will get paid the federal dollars - retroactive to March 29, 2020.

More Information:

• Jobs4TN.gov.

• Questions and Answers about the "Pandemic Unemployment Assistance" program for Tennesseans HERE.