Nearly $61 million in unemployment benefits were paid to Iowans this past week. Those funds went to 93,546 Iowans who are without work due to COVID-19. Iowa Workforce Development said the number of initial claims filed between April 5th and 11th was 46,356. The number of continuing weekly unemployment claims is 128,819. Employers or claimants with questions should reach out to Iowa Workforce Development. Paper applications are not accepted for unemployment benefits. The CARES Act weekly $600 benefits have started to be deposited on claimant debit cards.