End of the Pandemic Unemployment Benefits – What Rights Do I Have?

AJE is happy to share this resource that Legal Aid of DC put together that describes the end of the federal unemployment benefits (in  EnglishSpanish , and  Amharic ).

Here’s a quick summary of the information provided:

Three main programs expired in DC as of this past Saturday, September 4: Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC, which extends the time claimants can receive regular unemployment (“UI”) benefits; Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, or FPUC, which gives claimants an extra $300 per week; and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, which pays benefits to claimants who aren’t eligible for regular UI.

However, claimants who get regular UI or PEUC may continue to be eligible for some benefits, and we encourage anyone who stops getting benefits but thinks they may still be eligible to call DOES at 202-724-7000.

DOES is also still required to process all timely requests for benefits, so we encourage everyone who is still waiting on past benefits to keep reaching out to DOES.

There are a number of other resources available for DC residents, including:

  • SNAP (food stamps), TANF, & Alliance/Immigrant Children’s Program – apply at https://dcbenefits.dhs.dc.gov/, via smart phone through District First App, or in person at a DHS Service Center.
  • Medicaid – apply at dchealthlink.com or by phone at 1-855-532-5465.
  • Rental and utility assistance – apply at stay.dc.gov or 833-478-2932
There are a few related items we also wanted to help spread the word about:

Work Search Requirement Restarted

On August 30, DC restarted its requirement that everyone filing for unemployment benefits has to complete two work search activities each week and report the activities on their weekly claims cards. More information from DOES is available here.

DOES-Related Phishing Attacks

There were recently several fraudulent emails sent from dc.gov email addresses telling UI recipients that additional wages had been added to their claims, increasing their benefit amounts, and asking for recipients to respond with their name and phone number. DOES advises anyone who receives these emails (or any other suspicious emails) to not respond. Anyone who receives any email they believe to be suspicious should contact DOES at 202-724-7000.

 

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