Friend – 

During the global pandemic, I have been providing constant updates to you with important information and resources as our area navigated the federal, state, and local response to the effects of the Coronavirus. Now, I want to provide you with two brief updates for both employers and employees who have been impacted. 

Should you need any help during these difficult times, my office is here to help you, please do not hesitate to reach out. Click here to contact my office nearest you now.

Sincerely,

Rob

Lost Wages Assistance (LWA): Self-attestation update

The Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program is a federal program that provides an additional $300 per week to claimants in Virginia who are eligible for at least $100 per week in unemployment insurance compensation from any of the following:

• Unemployment compensation, including regular State Unemployment Compensation, Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX)
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
• Extended Benefits (EB)

Applicants will need to self-certify that they are unemployed/partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. Please follow this link to the Gov2Go website. You will be able to log in and provide the information necessary to complete the LWA process. 

Important Information to consider: 

• If you live outside the state of Virginia and have not set up a Gov2Go account please call 1-866-832-2363 to certify for LWA. 
• If you do not self-certify by 09/30/20 you may not be eligible to receive any of the $300 due to funding limitations.

LWA will be retroactive to the benefit week ending August 1, 2020.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted funds to support the LWA program. The VEC will pay these benefits as long as funding remains available.  

The VEC is in the final stages of programming for LWA. VEC expects programming to be complete and the agency to begin making payments September 30, 2020. However, you must complete the LWA attestation process with Gov2Go.

PPP Deadline: October 31

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been very vocal on the importance of our small businesses to our local economy and have been doing all I can to support them in Congress. That is why I voted for the CARES Act, which established the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP provides low-interest and forgivable loans for small businesses to cover payroll expenses and other costs.

In August, the Small Business Administration (SBA) opened the application for the PPP Loan Forgiveness Program. Borrowers must submit this form by October 31, 2020, to determine how much of their PPP loan will be forgiven. 

To access the PPP Loan Forgiveness Program application, please see here. You may be eligible for a partial exemption of this requirement if you can document that an employee refused a written job offer. To apply for PPP loan forgiveness, you must complete the application and submit it to your lender (or the lender that is servicing your loan). The application consists of (1) the PPP Loan Forgiveness Calculation Form; (2) PPP Schedule A; (3) the PPP Schedule A Worksheet; and (4) the (optional) PPP Borrower Demographic Information Form. Borrowers must submit (1) and (2) to their lenders. 

The SBA has also published a helpful PPP forgiveness FAQ here. This FAQ contains useful information on areas like payroll costs, loan forgiveness reductions, and more.