Thursday, March 28, 2024

Here’s how federal workers furloughed by the shutdown can still have income

(Southside Daily file photo/Courtesy of Pixabay)
(WYDaily file photo/Courtesy of Pixabay)

Federal workers furloughed because of the partial government shutdown have an option to supplement some of their income while not being paid — they can file for unemployment benefits.

Furloughed federal workers need to apply for unemployment through the state where they work, according to the Virginia Employment Commission website.

Those furloughed workers in Virginia can apply for unemployment benefits on the VEC’s website.

The multi-step benefits claim process requires proof of wages earned in federal employment for the past 18 months, such as copies of a 2017 W-2 form or payroll check stubs, among other documentation.

The site warns user to “not mail proof of your federal wages to the VEC before you have completed and submitted your claim for unemployment benefits.”

Federal employees who are still working, but doing so without pay — including some service members in the Coast Guard — are not eligible for unemployment benefits, according to the VEC’s website.

Related story: Hampton Roads Coast Guard not getting paid — first time in U.S. History

A tip sheet published by the Coast Guard Support Program, an employee-assistance arm of the service commonly known as CG SUPRT, provided suggestions to those in the Coast Guard affected by the shutdown. Suggestions included “having a garage sale,” baby-sitting, or becoming a mystery shopper to supplement income lost during the shutdown.

President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday to provide back pay to federal workers once the government shutdown is lifted, according to The Associated Press.

According to the VEC website, “if you receive back pay from your agency to cover the layoff period, you must repay any unemployment benefits you received for that time.”

Depending on earnings, federal workers’ benefit amounts may range from a minimum of $60 per week for 12 weeks to a maximum of $378 a week for 26 weeks.

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttp://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo (john@localdailymedia.com) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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