US / Feds Who Received Unemployment During Shutdown Must Return Payments

Thousands of federal employees who received unemployment compensation while on furlough will have to return the payments to their state or city offices, as they will now receive retroactive pay for the time missed during the government shutdown.

In the state of Maryland, about 20,000 furloughed feds applied for unemployment insurance, according to Maureen O’Connor, a spokeswoman in the state’s Labor, Licensing and Regulation Department. She did not have an exact figure for the number of employees who have already received payments, but said all the benefits must be paid back.

The office is working with the federal Labor Department to determine the process of how and when the state will reclaim that money.

In Washington, D.C., about 16,000 federal employees applied for unemployment, according to WTOP, and 1,700 of them already received benefits. The city’s Employment Services Department is using emails, robo-calls and standard mailings to notify the recipients they must repay the cash. The employees have 60 days to return the payments.

Most furloughed feds stationed in D.C. received $359 per week, the maximum amount of compensation an unemployed individual can make. Employees were only eligible for one payment, as there is a one week wait period before qualifying for the compensation.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at 

via Feds Who Received Unemployment During Shutdown Must Return Payments – Pay & Benefits – GovExec.com.