WASHINGTON (WTVA) -- The U. S. Department of Labor has awarded a National Emergency Grant supplement to provide qualified workers with partial premium payments for health insurance coverage.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis says the money will expand the number of states and people assisted.
The supplement awarded to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation will be administered in partnership with Alabama, Mississippi, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
The funds will allow the provision of two to three months of payment help for unemployed workers who are receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits and are eligible for the Health Coverage Tax Credit program.
Under the progam, those eligible can receive 72.5 percent of the premium costs for qualified health insurance programs.
The National Emergency Grant of $2,422,473 was awarded to the state of Maryland in November of 2009 and served 1,890 participants in Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi and South Carolina.
The recently awarded supplement of $1,058,254 will raise the total number of those helped to 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 www.doleta.gov.
