‘I’m in limbo right now’: Laid off federal workers struggle to secure unemployment benefits

A month after losing her job at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Corinne Bazarnyj is still waiting to be approved for unemployment benefits.

A month after losing her job at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Corinne Bazarnyj is still waiting to be approved for unemployment benefits. The disabled veteran who started at the agency as a training specialist in November was caught up in the Trump administration’s mass culling of probationary workers, who typically have less than one or two years in their positions. Like many other probationary employees, Bazarnyj got a termination letter saying she’d been let go because of performance – even though she hadn’t been on the job long enough to have an evaluation – potentially making it harder for her to qualify for unemployment benefits. “I was terminated based on performance, that is not true. So, I honestly don’t know if I’m going to get unemployment or not,” said Bazarnyj, who recently bought a house in Frederick, Maryland, to be closer to her job. Maryland’s unemployment agency has started requesting documents about her employment, but her case remains in pending status, Bazarnyj said. Before she was laid off, she downloaded a key document, known as SF-50, that showed her wage and separation information. Securing unemployment benefits may try the patience of many former federal workers struggling to stabilize their lives after being unexpectedly tossed out of public service. The payments can be a lifeline for those who suddenly find themselves jobless. In addition to having to deal with performance being cited as the cause for their termination, some workers are still waiting for the employment documents they need from their agencies, which are in turmoil as the Trump administration seeks to rapidly downsize the federal workforce.