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During the shutdown, San Antonio Labor Department employee Imelda Avila-Thomas has spent two weeks trying to secure unemployment aid, uploading income documents yet flagged as ineligible because wages can’t be verified. She and thousands of furloughed federal workers are navigating state systems with varying benefits, delayed verification, and unclear work search rules; about 26,000 filed claims between Sept. 28 and Oct. 18. Payments differ widely by state and may be delayed, and any aid must be repaid if back pay arrives. With tutoring cut and trips to a food bank, she says the money would cover "the essential basics."

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.