Please follow the instructions below to contact the Little Rock Workforce Development Board (LRWDB) and its one-stop provider, Equus Solutions, about submitting your application for the Emergency Assistance Program. You should be prepared to submit all necessary documentation with your application to expedite processing and avoid having to apply again.
Under the direction of Governor Hutchinson and the Arkansas Department of Commerce, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) created the emergency assistance program using existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to provide benefits to unemployment insurance (UI) claimants with families who lost wages and are experiencing financial challenges due to the COVID19 pandemic.
The emergency assistance program is open to UI claimants who are unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. In order to qualify, you must:
- Be eligible for state or federal unemployment benefits with a weekly benefit amount of less than $100 AND a demonstrated need for assistance. Need for assistance may be demonstrated by any of the following:
o The participant is unable to work due to contracting COVID-19 leading to lost wages
o Children’s school or childcare provider closed due to COVID-19 o Workplace closed due to COVID-19
o Rent or mortgage assistance due to COVID-19 o Utility assistance due to COVID-19 o Lost housing due to COVID-19
o Similar circumstances that are not COVID-19 related, that demonstrate a specific crisis situation or episode of need
- Be unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Have a family income less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
- Be custodial parents with a child under the age of 18/be a woman who is currently pregnant
Those who qualify for the emergency assistance program will be eligible for benefits in an amount that is, at a minimum, equal to the amount of benefits that other UI claimants will receive through the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program.
