Part 1 of the series: Navigating the Safety Net

I’ve spent most of my career inside large, complex systems—working in foreign assistance, public sector programs, and institutions designed to respond to crisis. I understood, intellectually, how safety nets worked.

What I didn’t fully grasp—until it happened to me—was how destabilizing it feels when your own work suddenly disappears.

Leaving government service wasn’t something I had planned. And yet, like so many people navigating career transitions, layoffs, restructurings, or political shifts, I found myself doing something I never imagined I would need to do: apply for unemployment insurance.

This post is both a practical guide to unemployment insurance in DC and a reflection on what it’s like to experience a system you once trusted from the inside—now as the person relying on it.

Unemployment Is Not a Personal Failure

Let’s start here, because this is the hardest part.

Unemployment insurance exists because work is not always stable—even for highly educated, experienced professionals. Entire sectors change. Political priorities shift. Institutions are dismantled, reorganized, or defunded. None of that reflects individual worth.

Still, the emotional weight is real. Filing for unemployment can feel like admitting defeat, especially if your identity has been tightly wrapped around competence, service, or leadership.

It’s worth saying plainly: using unemployment insurance is not a failure. It is a benefit you earned through years of work.

Who Qualifies for Unemployment Insurance in DC?

Eligibility for unemployment insurance in Washington, DC is based on prior earnings and the circumstances under which your employment ended.

In general, you may qualify if:

• You were employed as a W-2 employee (not a 1099 contractor)
• You earned sufficient wages during the base period
• You lost your job through no fault of your own
• You are able and available to work

For federal employees or those working on federally funded programs, eligibility can feel confusing—especially when roles end due to restructuring rather than traditional layoffs. It’s still worth applying. Let the system determine eligibility, not your own assumptions.

Applying for Unemployment in DC: What the Process Looks Like

Applying for unemployment in DC is done through the Department of Employment Services (DOES). On paper, the process is straightforward. In reality, it requires patience.

The application asks for:

• Employment history
• Dates of employment
• Reason for separation
• Income information

Once submitted, you wait.

And then you wait some more.

This is often the most difficult part—not just financially, but psychologically. You’ve done everything you were supposed to do, yet you’re stuck in limbo.

Weekly Certifications and the Emotional Toll

After applying, claimants must submit weekly certifications confirming they are actively seeking work and remain eligible.

This ritual can feel strangely demoralizing: repeatedly explaining your availability, documenting job searches, and confirming—again—that you are unemployed.

For someone used to operating at a senior level, this weekly exercise can quietly chip away at confidence. It’s a reminder that unemployment is not just an economic experience, but an emotional one.

My Experience: What Surprised Me Most

One of the biggest surprises for me was how unprepared the DC government seemed to be for the sheer number of federal employees who were suddenly impacted by reductions in force.

What made things especially complicated was how severance payments were handled—and how that interacted with unemployment insurance and annual leave payouts.

Typically, severance is treated as a one-time payment and does not count against unemployment benefits in the same way ongoing wages do. But in this case, USAID distributed severance as if it were biweekly paychecks, rather than a single lump sum. That decision created confusion across the board—for claimants and, it seemed, for the system itself.

We were encouraged to apply for unemployment immediately and begin certifying, which many of us did in good faith. The complication came when severance payments were delayed. When they finally arrived—nearly a month later—they included retroactive payments for the previous weeks.

That meant some of us had already received unemployment benefits for weeks when, on paper, it suddenly looked like we had been paid wages. As a result, people were told they needed to pay back unemployment benefits that had already been issued.

We were then given confusing options: continue certifying in the unemployment system without receiving payments, or stop and later attempt to restart benefits. Either path risked further delays.

The entire experience was frustrating and deeply illogical. It delayed benefits, created unnecessary stress, and placed the burden of a federal payroll decision onto individual workers who were already navigating job loss and uncertainty.

It wasn’t the paperwork that was hardest—it was the lack of coordination between systems that were supposed to protect people in moments like this.

I do want to name something important here as well. To their credit, the DC government stood up a dedicated “tiger team” to help streamline unemployment claims for RIFed federal employees and to be more responsive as these issues surfaced.

At the service center level, the staff I interacted with were consistently compassionate, patient, and helpful. They understood the confusion many of us were facing and did their best to explain options, flag issues, and move cases forward within the limits of the system they were working in.

At the same time, unemployment insurance still served as a crucial bridge. It allowed me to cover basic expenses, remain housed, and continue searching for meaningful work without immediate panic.

It wasn’t generous. But it was stabilizing.

How Unemployment Fits Into the Broader Safety Net

Unemployment insurance rarely stands alone. It often interacts with:

• SNAP
• WIC
• MAGI Medicaid

Your unemployment determination can serve as proof of income for other programs, making it a foundational step in accessing broader support.

Understanding this helped me see unemployment not as an endpoint, but as an entry point into a temporary system of stabilization.

What I’d Tell Anyone Applying Now

If you’re about to apply—or already waiting—here’s what I wish someone had told me:

• Apply as soon as you’re eligible
• Document everything
• Expect delays, and don’t internalize them
• Use the benefit without shame

You are not doing anything wrong by needing support during a period of transition.

Final Thoughts

Experiencing unemployment after years of public service changed how I think about systems, dignity, and vulnerability.

It reminded me that no amount of expertise makes you immune to disruption—and that safety nets matter precisely because even the most prepared among us can fall.

In the next post in this series, I’ll walk through WIC in DC—one of the fastest, most humane benefits I accessed during this transition.

This post reflects my personal experience and publicly available information. Program rules and timelines can change. Always consult the DC Department of Employment Services for the most current guidance.