The Department of Workforce Development requested to borrow $300 million from the federal government to pay state unemployment insurance claims.

It's estimated that roughly 17 percent of those on the state's unemployment program dont receive enough to be eligible.

A group of Hoosiers are asking the state to address what they call "disconcerting problems" with the unemployment system.

The Lost Wage Assistance Program will be available for out of work Hoosiers backdated to Aug. 1. Federal guidelines say workers must have received benefits of at least $100 under state or federal unemployment programs to be eligible.

Indiana's unemployment insurance trust fund will be depleted in September if Hoosiers continue seeking assistance for joblessness at the current pace due to the coronavirus pandemic, a state official says.

Unemployment loans to states will have zero interest until the end of the year, but it could mean tax increases for employers in the future.

The $600 expires at the end of the month due to a provision in the federal CARES Act. If unemployed workers file for benefits on or before July 25, DWD said it will make the additional payments.

Months into the pandemic, many desperate workers say they still havent received unemployment benefits. And as many WorkOne re-employment offices reopen by appointment this week, staff fear theyll be caught in the middle between those people and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

The number of Hoosiers filing new applications for unemployment benefits dropped slightly last week, to 26,000. But since mid-March, over 700,000 workers have now applied for unemployment.

More than 1 in 4 workers experienced unemployment last month in several Indiana counties. Data released Tuesday from the Department of Workforce Development shows which areas of the state were hit hardest.