Furloughed federal workers face delays getting unemployment pay during shutdown

"For more than two weeks now during the government shutdown, Imelda Avila-Thomas has been trying in vain to get approved for unemployment compensation to help cover essentials such as food and mortgage payments for her family while she's on unpaid furlough from her federal government job. She kept asking questions and was ultimately sent a hyperlink to upload proof-of-income documents, which she did earlier this week."

"She wonders whether someone who might help her has also been furloughed. A mother of a 12-year-old daughter and local union leader, Avila-Thomas is among the thousands of furloughed federal workers trying to navigate the unemployment system - a sharp increase, but still a fraction of the 670,000-plus furloughed workforce, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. The dollar amounts and length of benefits vary by state."

During the government shutdown, thousands of furloughed federal workers sought unemployment benefits, with about 26,000 initial claims filed from Sept. 28 through Oct. 18 and roughly 3,300 filed the week before the shutdown. Many claimants face processing delays and eligibility problems, including systems that cannot verify wages. Furloughed employees must consider that expected back pay would require repaying unemployment benefits. Some households have cut essential services and used food banks. Imelda Avila-Thomas, a 16-year Labor Department employee and local union leader in San Antonio, has been unable to get approved and has uploaded proof-of-income documents but remains deemed ineligible.

Read at Boston.com