Alaska unemployment payments with $300 increase set to begin

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Officials say eligible Alaska residents receiving unemployment checks from the state are expected to get a $300 increase to their weekly payments beginning next week. The Anchorage Daily News reported Governor Mike Dunleavy approved the increase in August to replace a $600 increase from Congress that ended in July. The increase will be paid from a federal disaster relief fund for unemployment aid to counter the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic. The increased payments will be retroactive to July 31. Alaska has traditionally paid about $250 in weekly unemployment benefits. About 12% of the state’s workforce receive the payments.