The U.S. Department of Labor gave $2,283,000 to Hawaiʻi’s unemployment insurance program.
The funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The department promised up to $260 million in grants for states to increase access to unemployment insurance benefits in 2021. About $205 million has been distributed so far.
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will use the $2.3 million to begin outreach projects to communities with difficult access to unemployment insurance benefits.
Barriers include age, ethnicity, language, disabilities, geographic locations and other systemic issues.
The grant will also be used for the department to expand translation services and improve disability access.
