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Elissa Silverman is an at-large member of the D.C. Council and chair of Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. Elissa believes that a transparent governing process helps ensure all residents' voices are heard. She is committed to improving the quality of life for residents in all eight wards.
Send us a message or call the office at 202-724-7772
Need help with city services? Submit a constituent services request
To invite Elissa to an upcoming event, please fill out a meeting request
If you applied for Unemployment Insurance (UI) at the beginning of the COVID-19 public health emergency (mid-March), you have likely exhausted or are about to exhaust your benefits. UI is designed to last for 26 weeks, but fortunately, there are additional 13-week extensions currently available. The extension is not automatic, however. UI claimants will need to apply and fill out an application to receive extended support.
Read MoreIf you are a DC worker affected by COVID-19, the District has programs that may be able to help, including the Shared Work Unemployment Insurance Program ("Shared Work"). Shared Work is a way for businesses in the District to keep employees on staff during the COVID-19 pandemic AND reduce payroll costs.
Read MoreDC's Universal Paid Family Leave program is now live. This allows DC workers to take paid leave to care for a new child, a family member, or themselves.
Read MoreIf you are an unemployed DC worker, including workers affected by COVID-19, the District has programs that may be able to help. Our strongest protection for District workers at risk of losing their paycheck is Unemployment Insurance (UI).
Read MoreToday, April 12, D.C. opens up eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone ages 16 and older. If you are 16 and older, I encourage you to get vaccinated, and if you have concerns about taking the shot, feel free to write to me. I can help you get your questions answered. There are a number of ways to get a vaccine appointment that are detailed in the answer to the first question in the Q&A section below.
Also today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new Website and phone number for rent and utilities assistance. The program, STAY DC, will provide up to 12 months of past due rent payments from April 2020 and three months of rental assistance moving forward if you qualify due to income. There is also financial assistance for water, gas, and electric utilities. The website is stay.dc.gov and phone number is 833-478-2932 (833-4-STAYDC). See the Q&A section for additional information, and I’ll spend more time on this in next week’s newsletter.
The American Rescue Plan will bring 2.2 billion federal dollars over the next three years to the District of Columbia, including extensions of various unemployment compensation programs. If you received Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) in 2020 and have not returned to work, you are likely eligible for the additional benefits in the American Rescue Plan. Typically, unemployment benefits can last up to a year, but the American Rescue Plan extends UI beyond the traditional year timeframe.
The American Rescue Plan continues through September 2021 the $300/week supplemental payment to UI and PUA recipients that was made available beginning in late December 2020.
Here’s how the plan will impact you if you collect unemployment compensation, broken out by program and extensions:
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 5, 2021 – D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large), chair of the Council’s Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, issued the following statement on the death of Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) President Elizabeth Davis: