LANSING — The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has started issuing $300 weekly Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments to an estimated 365,000 claimants on regular state unemployment insurance and Extended Benefit programs this weekend, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity announced on Monday.

The PUC supplement, which is payable from Dec. 27 through March 13, provides an additional $300 per week to all eligible unemployment recipients who receive at least $1 for the week. Claimants do not need to take any action to receive this additional weekly benefit as it will be paid automatically after they certify.

The additional payment comes from an extension of the federal COVID-19 relief package passed in December.

Workers who were on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation continue to have no actions to take at this time. They will not be able to complete certifications and payments will not be issued for weeks after Dec. 26 until the technical updates to the UI system are completed.

UIA staff have been working nights and weekends to complete the updates as soon as possible, the MDLEO said. This will only be a disruption and claimants will be made whole once the extensions are fully implemented. An estimated completion date is not yet available.