{"id":9456,"date":"2026-08-31T17:09:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9456"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:09:52","slug":"paperwork-lines-hours-on-hold-theres-a-time-tax-on-americans-who-need-help-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9456","title":{"rendered":"Paperwork, lines, hours on hold: There&#8217;s a &#8216;Time Tax&#8217; on Americans who need help most"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hospitality workers wait in line to apply for unemployment benefits at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-9452\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/48d40c48333aa65247ae75bd94178da2-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/48d40c48333aa65247ae75bd94178da2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/48d40c48333aa65247ae75bd94178da2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/48d40c48333aa65247ae75bd94178da2.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n                Hospitality workers wait in line to apply for unemployment benefits at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.\n                <b>\n                    \n                    Marcio Jose Sanchez\/AP\n                    \n                <\/b>\n<b><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9446\">Lionel Messi says he\u2019s retiring from playing internationally for Argentina<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<b>\n<svg><\/svg>\n<b>toggle caption<\/b>\n<\/b>\n<\/div>\n<span>\n        \n        Marcio Jose Sanchez\/AP\n        \n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>How much of your life do you spend waiting, either in line, on the phone or while filling out government forms? Annie Lowrey, a journalist with  says all that waiting amounts to what she calls a &#8220;time tax,&#8221; paid most often by those applying for government benefits like unemployment, disability and food assistance.<\/p> <p>&#8220;I really saw this as a tax, because there&#8217;s this understanding that, with the government, we should be getting what&#8217;s ours,&#8221; Lowrey explains. &#8220;How much time, how much effort, how much emotional strain, how much do you have to give up to receive something that you&#8217;re trying to either purchase or obtain or a right that you are supposed to have?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A grocery cart is full of food items.\" class=\"wp-image-9453\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cdaa3cbdfb75a1e144c1f6addded84df-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cdaa3cbdfb75a1e144c1f6addded84df-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cdaa3cbdfb75a1e144c1f6addded84df-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cdaa3cbdfb75a1e144c1f6addded84df.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>National <\/h3>\n<h3>Over 4 million people are no longer receiving food aid amid sweeping changes to SNAP<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5946449-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>In her new book,  Lowrey argues that excessive red tape in many, but not all, government agencies often acts as a barrier to people receiving benefits. She notes that new paperwork and work requirements have already cut millions of Americans from food assistance, and the numbers are still growing. She points to our current unemployment insurance system as an example of how administrative hurdles prevent people from collecting benefits they are owed.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mara is a single mother of two in Minnesota. She and her family have depended on SNAP benefits to make ends meet.\" class=\"wp-image-7397\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/02761455edb9ffe907b1e9d05c634425-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/02761455edb9ffe907b1e9d05c634425-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/02761455edb9ffe907b1e9d05c634425-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/02761455edb9ffe907b1e9d05c634425.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>National <\/h3>\n<h3>Out of work and with 2 teens, this mom may lose food stamps under Trump&#8217;s changes<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5946449-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>&#8220;Unemployment insurance is a contributory benefit. You have to be paying into a trust fund in order to get it,&#8221; she says. But, she adds, some people don&#8217;t collect unemployment, either because they can&#8217;t figure out how to complete the paperwork or &#8220;the state, frankly, can&#8217;t figure out how to deal with all of the paperwork that it&#8217;s receiving.&#8221;<\/p> <p>In addition to lost benefits, Lowrey says living with such a time tax contributes to what she calls a &#8220;low-trust society.&#8221; <\/p> <p>&#8220;When the government treats us like this, we don&#8217;t trust it. And if we don&#8217;t trust it, we&#8217;re not going to trust it to do more and better things for our life. And I think that it leads us not to trust each other, too,&#8221; she says. <\/p> <div><\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" -->\n<h3>Interview highlights<\/h3> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"71RYHR10QkL._SL1500_.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-9454\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4f2a03e5df2f55e82a3ffb88f1ab7be3.jpg\" width=\"678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4f2a03e5df2f55e82a3ffb88f1ab7be3.jpg 678w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4f2a03e5df2f55e82a3ffb88f1ab7be3-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<span>\n        \n        Ecco\n        \n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you are looking at the programs that are targeted at the most at-risk Americans \u2014 Supplemental Security Income [SSI], which is used by very low-income seniors with disabilities; TANF [Temporary Assistance\u00a0to Needy Families]or cash welfare, which is used by very low-income, primarily mothers of small children; WIC [Women, Infants &amp; Children], which is a nutrition support program that is also used by quite low-income mothers and their kids. They tend to come with really significant time burdens. &#8230; <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9440\">NPR spent 2 years tracking deaths from heat. We found a staggering hidden toll<\/a><\/p> <p>SSI, for instance, it makes these folks comply with an asset test, right? So how much exact money is in your bank account? Or do you have any little pockets saved away somewhere? &#8230; And I think that everything that we know about being very sick, very at risk, very poor, homeless, vulnerable in some fashion, those programs should be easier, not harder.<\/p>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5946449-102\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP PULLQUOTE\" -->\n<p>I see it in moral terms. Food assistance should not be a program for low-income, at-risk Americans who might not be able to eat enough, who are also good at paperwork. That&#8217;s not what that program should be, right? &#8230; Do we want all of these programs to [say] this is assistance for lower income Americans, provided that they have a smartphone and a wifi connection? That&#8217;s not what these programs are about. <\/p> <p>We vote on Tuesday, because back when we were an agrarian society, the days were limited &#8230; by the need for people to go to church on Sunday. And often, [voters] would have to travel for, like, a day to get to their polling place, because they might be going on foot or they might be by horse. And you had to avoid market days also. And so it ended up being that Congress, in I believe the 1840s, decided that Tuesday was the day. And this is not a holiday. &#8230;<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A U.S. Postal Service worker loads mail-in ballots onto a truck in 2022 in Miami.\" class=\"wp-image-9159\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/905e42e26314fb1fa377f848eaa4b6cc-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/905e42e26314fb1fa377f848eaa4b6cc-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/905e42e26314fb1fa377f848eaa4b6cc-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/905e42e26314fb1fa377f848eaa4b6cc.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Elections <\/h3>\n<h3>Postal Service appeals order blocking plan for Trump&#8217;s push to restrict mail voting<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5946449-103\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>[As a result] We do not have high voter participation rates. And so that means that the voting public is not representative of the actual American public. That&#8217;s not good for (small d) democratic reasons. And I would say that vote by mail has started to change this. But there&#8217;s now real attacks on vote by mail, and I think precisely for that purpose. What you are doing when you hold elections in a really complicated fashion is you allow politicians to pick their voters instead of allowing the American public \u2014 as big as we can make it \u2014 to pick their politicians.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A person holds a sign reading\" class=\"wp-image-9455\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9efca815be82a7c9c68c5dcfaa076eab-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9efca815be82a7c9c68c5dcfaa076eab-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9efca815be82a7c9c68c5dcfaa076eab-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9efca815be82a7c9c68c5dcfaa076eab.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Politics <\/h3>\n<h3>The Social Security trust fund is running out, and yet it&#8217;s not a top campaign issue<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5946449-104\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>[It&#8217;s the] biggest government program that we have, pretty much. It&#8217;s huge. It&#8217;s overhead cost 1% and it works really well. The payment error rate [is] extremely low. I think there&#8217;s this idea of, &#8220;Oh, it&#8217;s easy to calculate somebody&#8217;s social security benefit.&#8221; No, it isn&#8217;t. They have to monitor your income and whether you&#8217;re employed throughout your whole life. So yeah, it is pretty easy for them to get you your benefits when you elect them. They&#8217;ve already done all of the work, but that was a lot of work in the background. They just don&#8217;t impose it on people. And I&#8217;m not saying Social Security is perfect, right? Like there are absolutely problems with it. But nevertheless, people really like it. It works really well.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Social Security is expected to run short of cash in less than seven years. Lawmakers need to adjust benefits or taxes before that to avoid an automatic cut in monthly benefits.\" class=\"wp-image-4969\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7d3d15ce2d9429fcb819fc6d54c19619-768x475.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7d3d15ce2d9429fcb819fc6d54c19619-768x475.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7d3d15ce2d9429fcb819fc6d54c19619-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7d3d15ce2d9429fcb819fc6d54c19619.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Economy <\/h3>\n<h3>Social Security funds could run short by 2032, program&#8217;s Trustees warn<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5946449-105\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>We have tremendous overhead because we have duplicative programs, programs that people have never even heard about, that we bother to set up and then nobody uses. &#8230; The way I see it, you can make the government smaller by making the rules easier, giving the government a little more budget to update these systems and giving it the express goal of reducing burden on citizens and taxpayers.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9434\">The U.S. Venezuela oil deal won\u2019t lower your gas prices. Here\u2019s what you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Annie Lowrey explores the administrative burdens people face applying for government benefits. It&#8217;s not just about wasted time: &#8220;When the government treats us like this, we don&#8217;t trust it,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[727],"tags":[1592,1488,1825,554],"class_list":["post-9456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-author-interviews","tag-disability-benefits","tag-snap","tag-snap-benefits","tag-unemployment-benefits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Paperwork, lines, hours on hold: There&#039;s a &#039;Time Tax&#039; on Americans who need help most - Best USA Movers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9456\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paperwork, lines, hours on hold: There&#039;s a &#039;Time Tax&#039; on Americans who need help most - Best USA Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Annie Lowrey explores the administrative burdens people face applying for government benefits. It&#039;s not just about wasted time: &quot;When the government treats us like this, we don&#039;t trust it,&quot; she says.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=9456\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Best USA Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-31T17:09:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/48d40c48333aa65247ae75bd94178da2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40\"},\"headline\":\"Paperwork, lines, hours on hold: There&#8217;s a &#8216;Time Tax&#8217; on Americans who need help most\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-31T17:09:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456\"},\"wordCount\":1112,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/8a77190f05daeb160f7fafdb279cb7a9-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"disability benefits\",\"SNAP\",\"snap benefits\",\"unemployment benefits\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Author Interviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456\",\"name\":\"Paperwork, lines, hours on hold: There's a 'Time Tax' on Americans who need help most - Best USA Movers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/8a77190f05daeb160f7fafdb279cb7a9-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-31T17:09:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3f4fef4452a41b72c331a70422221f40\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/?p=9456#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/8a77190f05daeb160f7fafdb279cb7a9-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bestusamoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/8a77190f05daeb160f7fafdb279cb7a9-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"FILE - In this March 13, 2020, file photo, unionized hospitality workers wait in line in a basement garage to apply for unemployment benefits at the Hospitality Training Academy in Los Angeles. California will stop giving unemployment benefits to people who are not actively applying for jobs, Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration announced Thursday, June 17, 2021. Federal law requires people who are out of work to be actively looking for jobs to be eligible for unemployment benefits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government waived the requirement. 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California will stop giving unemployment benefits to people who are not actively applying for jobs, Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration announced Thursday, June 17, 2021. Federal law requires people who are out of work to be actively looking for jobs to be eligible for unemployment benefits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government waived the requirement. 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