Unemployment Compensation Process

If you receive a suspicious email from the DC Department of Employment Services or DC Networks, do not click the link and do not share any requested information. You can find more information and all of the ways District workers and employers can report and prevent fraud on our website HERE.

Federal Benefits Ending September 4

Effective September 4, 2021, in accordance with federal law, several federal unemployment benefits offered through the American Rescue Plan Act will expire.
Benefits will end for claimants who are currently receiving the following:

•  Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
  • UA covers individuals who were not eligible for regular UI benefits. This included self-employed individuals, independent contractors, and gig economy workers.
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
  • PEUC covers individuals who exhausted all rights to regular UI under state or federal law.
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
  • FPUC covers individuals who were receiving traditional UI or PUA, and individuals eligible under PEUC. Eligible individuals received an additional $300 per week.
• Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)
  • MEUC provides a $100 weekly supplement to individuals with an annual self-employment income of at least $5,000.

Under federal law, no PUA, PEUC, FPUC, or MEUC payments may be made after the week ending September 4 regardless of the claimant’s balance at the time of program termination. The amount claimants will receive as part of their weekly unemployment benefits after September 4 will be impacted by these changes from the federal government. The benefit amount in D.C., based on eligibility and wage information submitted to DOES, can range from $50 to $444 per week. Claimants can estimate their weekly benefit amount by visiting DCNetworks.org and clicking Estimate Your Benefits.

It’s important to note eligible claimants receiving traditional unemployment insurance benefits in the District will continue to be paid. If a claimant’s traditional unemployment benefits have been exhausted or a traditional claim has expired, individuals must file a new claim or reopen an existing claim to be determined for eligibility or to continue receiving benefits to which they may be entitled.

Our agency is committed to supporting claimants through benefits and workforce development opportunities for re-employment. DOES offers the following resources to DC residents:

• American Job Center helps residents find a new job, transition into something new, expand their skills, or explore a new career.
• DC Infrastructure Academy trains, screens, and recruits residents to fulfill the needs of the infrastructure industry and infrastructure jobs.
• DC Career Connections is a work readiness program that provides out-of-school and unemployed young adults with opportunities to gain valuable work experience.
• Project Empowerment provides unemployed residents with opportunities to grow in education, training, and subsidized employment placements.

Download our detailed factsheet: