HELP WANTED | DC workers have been waiting 5 weeks for unemployment benefits - why is this not a priority?

At least twice a day, The Advoc8te does a search on Twitter for mentions of @DOES_DC, and every day I am horrified and saddened a little bit more. Hundreds, if not thousands, of DC workers are pleading for their unpaid unemployment benefits. The latest interruption in DOES's inability to pay benefits has entered its 5th week, with a significant portion of filers waiting several months for unemployment benefits. For Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) filers, not only have they been unable to submit their weekly certifications online or via the phone, most still have not had their weekly benefits redetermination processed -- over one year after the pandemic began. That means that PUA recipients that are entitled to more than the $179/week in unemployment benefits are having to make do with less than half of the maximum of $444/week. I personally know at least two dozen contractors and consultants who have submitted multiple requests to DOES for redeterminations over the past year and still have not received a response or an increase. DOES states they have been processing redetermination requests and sending out letters; no one has seen such a letter. Last week, I inquired on Twitter if anyone has received such a letter from DOES -- not a single person responded in the affirmative. So, in addition to going five or more weeks without any payments, many of the District's unemployed are having to settle for less than half of what they are entitled.

Today's Congress Heights on the Rise and The Advoc8te's Twitter handle (@TheAdvoc8te) will focus on the District's latest unemployment benefits crisis. CHotR and CHotR's social media platforms will also include information about unemployment benefits, processes, and contacts. DOES has not asked me to do this or paid for this coverage (although they should). I am doing this as a community service because times are hard and people are desperate. Councilmember Silverman has been a rockstar, and I applaud her efforts. That said, this crisis of delayed and unpaid unemployment benefits is so big and has gone on for so long that it requires an "all hands on deck" approach and ASAP.

So with that in mind, I hope that Mayor Bowser, Chairmen Mendelson, and the rest of the DC Council get involved ASAP. I know that $11M has been invested into DOES, but if people are still not being paid (or being paid correctly), then "Houston, we still have a problem." And as one communications professional to the next, DOES's social media feed is not very informative. Few things are more frustrating than feeling desperate about how you will feed your family, pay your insurance premiums and rent, while DOES is tweeting about the importance of maintaining good credit. Talk about pouring salt in the wound!

I have no doubt that DOES is overworked and faces many challenges, but so are the people who are crying out for help, and the latter don't have anywhere else to go.

So let's do better, now.

Want to help get the word out? Follow @TheAdvoc8te on Twitter and retweet the posts and/or add your own! I'm calling on community groups, residents, and elected officials to step up and help make this a priority.