WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor announced the award of a $1,058,254 National Emergency Grant
supplement to provide qualified jobless workers with partial premium payments
for health insurance coverage and to expand the number of states and people
served.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said, "It is difficult enough to find new employment, let alone do
so without health insurance for you or your family. This funding will help eligible workers avoid that
prospect by helping them pay for health insurance while they seek new
jobs."
The
supplement, awarded to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and
Regulation, will be administered in partnership with Alabama, Delaware, the
District of Columbia, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia. The
funds will allow the provision of two to three months of "gap filler"
payments for unemployed individuals in those states who are receiving Trade
Adjustment Assistance benefits and are eligible for the Health Coverage Tax
Credit program. Under the program, eligible individuals can receive 72.5
percent of premium costs for qualified health insurance programs. These
payments cover the period of time it takes to complete Internal Revenue Service
enrollment, processing and first payment under the HCTC program.
A
National Emergency Grant in the amount of $2,422,473 was awarded to the state
of Maryland on Nov. 30, 2009, to serve about 1,890 participants in Alabama,
Maryland, Mississippi and South Carolina who were eligible to enroll in the
HCTC program. Today's supplemental award of $1,058,254 brings the total funding
awarded for this project to $3,480,727, and will bring the total number of
people to be served under this grant to about 2,340.
National
Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor's discretionary fund and
are awarded based on a state's ability to meet specific guidelines. For more
information, visit http://www.doleta.gov/NEG.
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