RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia will get a $6.8 million grant to improve its embattled unemployment system, the federal Department of Labor announced Tuesday.
Virginia is the recipient of the largest of four grants totaling $20.5 million and aimed at increasing equitable access to state unemployment. Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington, DC also received grants for their own unemployment systems.
“Throughout the pandemic, the unemployment insurance system provided a critical lifeline for millions of workers, yet far too many workers struggled to access benefits quickly,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.
The money is aimed at “improving public awareness and service delivery,” and the grant may be put towards “reducing state workload backlogs” – a priority for Virginia, which is under a court order relating to extensive backlogs in the outdated state system.
