Councilmember Elissa Silverman, Chairperson of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, announces a public oversight roundtable before the Committee on the District’s unemployment compensation program. The roundtable will consider the challenges District workers continue to face in applying for unemployment insurance benefits under expanded programs available during the COVID-19 pandemic. This notice has been revised to reflect the addition of a second date, December 16, 2020 at 10:00am, when the Department of Employment Services (DOES) is expected to testify.

The full text of the letter sent by Councilmember Elissa Silverman to DOES, which includes advance questions for this additional Oversight Roundtable, can be found here. 

The hearing will be broadcast live on DC Cable Channel 13 and online at www.dccouncil.us.

Dear Director Morris-Hughes:

Yesterday’s announcement by Mayor Bowser of a $1,200 supplemental payment to some of our unemployed workers was great news, and I was glad to see you at the press conference to explain how the payment will work. Still, there are many questions about who will get the money and when. As you know, this is a scary time for our unemployment claimants, because federal CARES Act funding will end in less than three weeks. If Congress doesn’t take action, the program that has provided weekly checks for an estimated 40,000 DC independent contractors and gig workers will evaporate, as well as money to extend traditional unemployment insurance for another 120,000 DC workers.

[Click here for a PDF of the letter or continue reading below]

So, you need to apply for unemployment in DC as a freelancer or independent contractor…

Luckily, DC freelancer Lisa Kaneff has put together this excellent resource to guide freelancers through the process of applying for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. This easy-to-read blog post will walk readers through what the program does, who's eligible, and how to apply. It also includes several helpful tips for navigating the system with the least amount of headache. 

It is important to note, however, that PUA expires at the end of this year. We are hopeful that the Biden Administration will extend PUA or put another aid program in place for our workers not served by traditional Unemployment Insurance, and will share more information if that happens as soon as it becomes available.

Click here to read the full post.

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 20, 2020 – Today, the D.C. Council unanimously passed emergency legislation introduced by Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large) to extend unemployment compensation by seven additional weeks for all eligible claimants.

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 9, 2020 – Today, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, chaired by Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large), released a letter following up on the top concerns raised by claimants and Councilmembers at the Committee’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) oversight hearings.

Government Testimony on DC’s Unemployment Insurance System Rescheduled for September 30, 2020

D.C. Council’s Labor Committee announces monthly roundtables on unemployment through end of year

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 15, 2020 – At the request of the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES), the D.C. Council’s Committee on Labor and Workforce Development has agreed to reschedule the government’s appearance to deliver testimony and answer questions on the District’s unemployment insurance programs to Wednesday, September 30 at 3 p.m. Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes, Director of the Department of Employment Services, had been scheduled to testify at tomorrow’s (Wednesday, September 16) oversight hearing.