D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a program that will give $1,200 stimulus checks to unemployed residents who worked in the city and received benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
The program will cover approximately 20,000 residents, Bowser said a news conference Monday. Jobless residents who are eligible for PUA as of Nov. 30 will receive the stimulus, the mayor said.
People receiving the traditional unemployment will not get the stimulus, she said. Those eligible for the stimulus are self-employed residents, those seeking part-time employment, individuals lacking sufficient work history, independent contractors, gig economy workers and those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits under the traditional and PUA programs.
The PUA funds come from the federal CARES Act that is set to terminate at the end of the year. The mayor said beneficiaries will receive their checks before Dec. 31 and won’t have to do anything for the process to start.