SALT LAKE CITY — It's estimated that up to 40,000 federal employees in Utah could feel the impact of the government shutdown that began just after midnight Wednesday. To help those who will be furloughed or even laid off, we went searching for answers on what they should do first.
“We’re at the early stages of this lockdown, and the thing that’s probably going to make the most sense for most of these employees is to file for that unemployment insurance claim,” explained Jared Mendenhall with the Utah Department of Workforce Services.
Should employees qualify for unemployment insurance, Mendenhall encouraged them to visit jobs.utah.gov to fill out an application, where their eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
What about employees who are still reporting to work but aren’t receiving a paycheck? Can they file for unemployment?
“In that case, we encourage them to come and file the application, mark that you're still working, mark the hours that you’ve worked and whether you’re receiving pay or not for it," Mendenhall said.
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With no true end to the shutdown in sight, workers who go without a paycheck and want to consider loans should speak with a financial institution as soon as possible.
"I would encourage people to come in and address those situations: if it’s a loan extension that they’re looking for, if it’s fees that have been assessed,” said Granite Credit Union director of marketing Spencer Carver.
The credit union recommends a particular product that's also offered at other banks and credit unions.
"We have a quick cash product; a lot of financial institutions have something similar to a product called quick cash. Basically, it allows people to have access to money quickly at a significantly lower interest rate than what the payday lenders are offering,” Carver said.
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The Utah Department of Workforce Services urges anyone who needs immediate help to reach out to 211 Utah.
“If a federal employee finds themselves in immediate need of help, 211 Utah will connect them with local resources that can help them immediately,” Mendenhall explained.
211 Utah can assist with: utilities, healthcare, food, and offers other support programs. However, Mendenhall said that the Home Energy Assistance Target Program, which helps pay utilities for those in need, is currently not accepting applications because of the shutdown.
