DENVER — The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) held its second virtual town hall on Wednesday for federal employees affected by the government shutdown.
The shutdown is now the second-longest in U.S. history, marking its 22nd day on Wednesday.
The CDLE advises workers not to wait until they have exhausted their funds or missed a paycheck to apply for benefits. They should file a claim the day after their last day of work by going to MyUI+.
“If you wait to file, you may not be able to get benefits for the weeks you were out of work and didn’t apply,” said Phil Spesshardt with CDLE. “We have to be able to establish good cause for somebody to collect those prior weeks. Nine times out of 10, if you exercised any control in that decision-making, good cause doesn’t exist, so you wouldn’t receive payment for those prior weeks.”
More than a million federal employees will miss a paycheck on Friday if the shutdown continues. They last received a partial paycheck on Oct. 10.
There are as many as 57,000 federal workers in Colorado.
Furloughed and laid-off federal workers are eligible for unemployment benefits. Benefits last up to 26 weeks and will cover 55% of wages.
According to the CDLE, an employer may not prohibit a worker from filing an unemployment insurance claim.
- Denver7 spoke with experts about who qualifies for benefits in the story below
Money
Who is eligible for unemployment benefits in Colorado during the shutdown?
Federal employees must pay back the unemployment benefits when they receive back pay from the federal government after returning to work.
Federal law signed by President Donald Trump in 2019 guarantees back pay. This month, the Trump administration has argued that the government does not have to give back pay.
If workers do not receive back pay, then they will not have to repay benefits, according to the CDLE.
“If you are off during the shutdown and you return to work and never receive back pay, you would not be required to repay any of those unemployment insurance benefits,” Spesshardt said.
Federal employees working without pay
Unfortunately, federal employees working without pay are not eligible for benefits, CDLE told Denver7. The agency recommends visiting your local workforce center to explore specific programs and services that may help.
Denver7 compiled this list of credit unions offering zero-interest loans and other assistance for federal workers:
- Partner Colorado Credit Union has a no-interest emergency relief loan.
- Westerra Credit Union launched a 6-month, 0% interest loan.
- The Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund has a loan and grant option available for federal employees.
- Navy Federal Credit Union is offering zero-interest loans of up to $6,000 to its members.
- USAA has a no-interest loan and other financial assistance.
- Verizon is offering payment arrangements.
- Denver7 knows many Coloradans are growing increasingly worried about food insecurity, but you can help them put food on the table through Denver7 Gives. Click on the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity” to donate. All proceeds will go toward Coloradans in need, their families and the organizations that support them.
