Mayor Muriel Bowser has submitted a request to the Council of the District of Columbia to reprogram $682,000 from the Department of Employment Services (DOES) to the Unemployment Compensation Fund (UCF) for Fiscal Year 2026. This reprogramming is necessary to address a budget deficit in payments to beneficiaries due to higher-than-anticipated unemployment claims filed by District employees. The funds will be transferred from various divisions within DOES, which have experienced a significant vacancy rate, resulting in surplus budget authority that can be reallocated to cover the deficit in the UCF.

The Chief Financial Officer, Glen Lee, has reviewed the Mayor's request and confirmed that the reprogramming will not adversely impact the budget of DOES or the District's financial plan. The funds are available due to unfilled positions within the Transitional Employment, Customer Experience, and Year-Round Program divisions, which generated savings in salaries and fringe benefits. The reprogramming is essential to prevent the UCF from ending the fiscal year in deficit and is not intended to restore any previous budget cuts or establish new programs.