Federal workers furloughed during the shutdown are facing delays in receiving unemployment pay

For more than two weeks now during the government shutdown, Imelda Avila Tomas has been trying in vain to get approved for unemployment compensation to help cover basics like food and mortgage payments for her family while she is on unpaid leave from her job with the federal government.

She continued to ask questions, and was eventually sent a hyperlink to upload proof of income documents, which she did earlier this week. But Avila Thomas, who works for the Department of Labor in San Antonio, said the system still considers her ineligible for benefits, saying it can’t verify her wages. She wonders if someone who might help her has also been furloughed.

He watches: As federal workers lose pay during the shutdown, many are turning to food banks for relief

Avila Thomas, a mother of a 12-year-old daughter and a local union leader, is among thousands of furloughed federal workers trying to navigate the unemployment system — a sharp increase, but still a small portion of a workforce of more than 670,000, according to the bipartisan Policy Center. Dollar amounts and duration of benefits vary by state.

About 26,000 federal workers filed initial claims from Sept. 28 through Oct. 18, according to preliminary data published by the Labor Department. About 3,300 applications were submitted in the week that ended days before the lockdown began on October 1.

Furloughed workers have some factors to consider. For example, if they receive back wages as expected when the shutdown ends, they will need to repay unemployment aid. For Avila Thomas, getting the money back later is better than taking on debt.

Avila Thomas has worked for the Department of Labor for 16 years. Her husband is a disabled veteran who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs and is still gainfully employed, but they have had to cut back on tutoring for their daughter, who has dyslexia, and with one income now, they go to a food bank.

“This will cover that — the basic basics,” said Avila Thomas, whose U.S. federal office covers government employees working in the Department of Labor in several states. “And yes, in an ideal world, everyone would have enough savings to last six months. The reality is that most of our members have reached that point where they can no longer pay those regular bills.”

She applied for a part-time job and said she was not looking for a handout.

Unemployment aid for federal workers depends on the states

Unemployment compensation for federal employees depends largely on state laws and processing.

Details vary. Massachusetts has a premium weekly benefit of $1,105 per week for up to 30 weeks. In Mississippi, the cost is no more than $235 per week for up to 26 weeks. Nearly half of states pay less than $600 a week maximum, according to U.S. Labor Department figures.

Not everyone gets the maximum weekly rate. Some states offer as few as 20 weeks. Limits can increase in some states when unemployment rates are particularly high.

Across the nation’s capital, the maximum weekly payment is $444 in Washington, D.C., $430 in Maryland, and $378 in Virginia.

In Texas, where Avila Thomas lives, the weekly maximum is $605, for up to 26 weeks.

The Labor Department says states typically issue payments within two to three weeks after someone’s claim is approved. Most states also have an initial “waiting week” during which benefits are not paid in advance. The National Employment Law Project says recipients usually only get the money for that week later, if they have exhausted all of their allotted weeks.

States are responsible for verifying an applicant’s employment and earnings with the federal employer. But the Labor Department warned that the closure could delay the processing of this information by federal agencies.

Many workers have not received the forms typically sent by their employment agencies and used to verify employment and earnings, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Questions have arisen about the different requirements states impose on people who prove they are looking for work while receiving unemployment checks. The Labor Department said waivers to that requirement may apply to federal workers furloughed under state laws, noting they face ethical restrictions on outside work. Some states have determined that their job search mandates will not apply to these workers, and have waived them for several weeks or more.

But in Texas, Avila Thomas said she hasn’t received a clear answer. She said many of her job matches could pose a conflict of interest. The Texas Workforce Commission did not immediately respond to a request to clarify work requirements for these workers.

Those still working without pay are not eligible

About 730,000 federal employees continued to work without pay, according to the bipartisan Policy Center, and they are generally ineligible for unemployment benefits. They will receive their salaries after the government reopens. Workers with reduced hours may qualify for unemployment.

“Exceptional” unpaid employees are typically necessary to respond to emergencies or ensure national security, such as air traffic controllers and airport security monitors.

The Trump administration said salaries would continue to be paid to some groups, including FBI special agents and military forces. For some other workers whose departments, such as the Postal Service, depend on their own revenues or on certain other sources of funding, their salaries never stop.

There were other wrinkles to how this administration handled the shutdown, too.

Earlier in October, the Trump administration threatened to not guarantee back pay to furloughed federal employees, though he later backed down. Trump also sought to lay off more than 10,000 federal workers during the shutdown. A judge blocked the layoffs while a lawsuit challenging them was underway.

Avila Thomas said workers like her are ready for the lockdown to end.

“We are ready to come back,” she said. “I think I drove my family crazy with things and projects.”

Associated Press data journalist Larry Finn contributed from New York.