Unemployment FAQs

Public charge rules do not apply to unemployment benefits. 

Maybe. You must report your gross wages (your earnings before taxes) to the Department of Employment Services in your weekly claim cards. You must report these wages for the week in which you earn them (you perform the work), and not for the week when you get paid.  

The Department of Employment Services uses a statutory formula to calculate your eligibility for a reduced unemployment benefit that week: 

Step One: add $50 to your Weekly Benefit Amount. 

Step Two: multiply your gross weekly wages (your earnings before taxes) by 0.66. 

Step Three: compare to determine if 66% of your gross wages (in Step Two) is higher than your Weekly Benefit Amount plus $50 (in Step One).   

If your Step One calculation is higher than Step Two, then you are eligible for the difference between the amounts calculated in Step One and Step Two.   

If your Step Two calculation is higher than Step One, you are not eligible for unemployment benefits. 

It is very important for workers who have applied for benefits to file what is called a “weekly claim card” or “continued claim form” every week after submitting an application for benefits.  

Once you successfully submit an application for benefits, you should begin to receive these cards in the mail. We recommend filling them out online at dcnetworks.org if you have access to a computer or smartphone. You can also submit the information over the phone at (202) 724-7000, drop them off at the drop boxes at DOES (4058 Minnesota Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20019), or return the cards by mail (least preferred). You will continue to file these cards after being approved for benefits, for as long as you would like to continue receiving benefits. Generally, DOES will not pay benefits for any week in which they do not receive a claims card. 

Detailed instructions from DOES for completing the claims card are available on the DOES website here (Spanish version here). 

It takes approximately 21 days from the date you apply to begin to receive benefits, but you should begin to receive paperwork in the mail regarding your claim 7 to 10 days after applying.  

If either of these timelines have passed, you can call DOES at (202) 724-7000 and ask to speak to a claims examiner about your application. You can also try emailing DOES at does@dc.gov or fact.finding@dc.gov. If you cannot reach DOES by phone or email, you can reach out for legal help at www.legalaiddc.org/help or call the DC Resource Bridge at 202-933-HELP (4357).

A “Notice of Monetary Determination” is a form that DOES sends that will provide your weekly benefit amount, your maximum benefit amount, the wages used to calculate your claim, and other information about your claim for unemployment benefits.  

It may also share information saying whether you are eligible or not eligible for benefits. It may also say if there are any other issues with your claim. If it says that you are not eligible, please review the information it provides about why you are not eligible, because it may be incorrect. Please review the form closely for what to do next.  

Having a potential eligibility issue does not mean that you will not be found eligible for benefits, but DOES may contact you to get more information they need to complete your application.  

Claimants receive many documents in the mail from DOES after filing an initial unemployment claim. However, only two documents can deny benefits -- either a Monetary Determination (which finds a worker eligible or ineligible due to past wages) or a Determination by Claims Examiner (which explains the results of a claims examiner’s investigation).  

If your Monetary Determination states that you are “ineligible” for standard unemployment benefits, you should follow the instructions on the determination to ask DOES to do a redetermination within 15 days of the date on the notice.   

If you receive a Determination by Claims Examiner stating that your unemployment claim is denied, you can file an appeal with the Office of Administrative Hearings online at oah.dc.gov or by phone at (202) 442-9094. The deadline to file an appeal is 15 days after the date on the Determination.   

If you have any questions about whether you should appeal a Determination that finds you ineligible for benefits, you can learn how to get help at www.legalaiddc.org/help or by calling the DC Resource Bridge at 202-933-HELP (4357). 

DOES looks at a worker’s gross earnings in the last 12-18 months before they applied for UI to determine the Weekly Benefit Amount, or WBA.  Gross earnings are your pay before taxes are taken out.  If your gross income is high enough, you can receive up to $444/week. 

To determine your WBA, DOES breaks the year up into four quarters.  DOES will look at your highest gross earnings quarter and divide those earnings by 26 to calculate your WBA.    

Example:   

The worker in this example has their highest earnings in Quarter 4: $10,000. DOES will use those earnings ($10,000) and divide them by 26 to get the WBA of $384. 

Unemployment benefits are counted as income for several other common public benefits programs used by DC workers. 

For SNAP (commonly known as food stamps), unemployment benefits will count as income. This means that receiving regular UI will lower your SNAP amount, maybe to zero. 

For TANF (cash assistance for low-income families), unemployment benefits will count as income. This means that receiving unemployment benefits will likely make you ineligible for TANF.   

For Medicaid and DC Health Alliance, unemployment benefits count as income.  

For Social Security benefits (SSDI), unemployment benefits should not affect or reduce benefits.  

For Supplemental Security Income (SSI), unemployment insurance benefits count as income.  

For public housing programs administered through the DC Housing Authority, unemployment benefits are treated as income and will affect rent calculations.  

If the Department of Employment Services thinks they overpaid you, they must notify you in writing. This notice is called a Notice of Recoupment or a Notice of Determination of Overpayment. You have a right to appeal these notices to the Office of Administrative Hearings within 15 days if: (1) the old overpayment was not your fault, and (2) you cannot afford to have the District recoup your current unemployment benefits.  

If you receive any notices about an overpayment, you can learn how to get help at www.legalaiddc.org/help or by calling the DC Resource Bridge at 202-933-HELP (4357). 

No. Applications for unemployment benefits are not reviewed during public charge determinations when an immigrant requests an adjustment of status.