The D.C. Department of Employment Services is introducing some changes to its unemployment insurance system, as four federal unemployment programs are set to expire in early September.

First is a new website, which went live at 10 a.m. today, and has been updated to be more “user-friendly” and help employers and workers “easily find the information they need to support themselves,” according to DOES. The department has also launched a new claimant portal, with new features including mobile access, text in English and Spanish, and a chat function to speak live with a DOES representative. Both websites are part of an $11 million effort from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to invest in DOES after the coronavirus pandemic led to a dramatic increase in claimants, and the agency struggled to keep up.

“We have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to reduce barriers and help people in need,” DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes wrote in an announcement Tuesday. “Our modernization efforts are major steps toward surpassing that goal.”

The changes to these websites are also a way to brace those who are unemployed for the end of four federal programs: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation. The programs are set to expire on Sept. 4.

In addition, the work-search requirements will resume Aug. 30. This means that all unemployment claimants must complete two work search activities per week and register with the American Job Center in order to receive traditional unemployment benefits or benefits under the American Rescue Plan Act. The traditional work-search requirement has been waived since March 2020, as part of emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council.

After Sept. 4, D.C.’s traditional unemployment benefits will still be available to eligible claimants. Benefits range between $50 to $444 per week, based on wage information submitted to DOES.

At the end of last month, the unemployment rate in the District stood at 7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a rate that’s been steadily dropping since last fall, when it leveled off at about 8.8%. The U.S. Department of Labor recorded more than 16,000 unemployment claims in the last week of July, the most recent week for which data is available.

Last summer, DOES faced waves of criticism from frustrated claimants, many of whom said they waited months for benefits, if they received them at all. Morris-Hughes has said that the sharp uptick in claims has led to the system being massively overwhelmed, and the occasional technical glitches have led to further delays in payments. The Office of the Inspector General announced in May that it would audit the agency to assess the system’s accessibility, efficiency, and reliability. Earlier this month, the D.C. Council announced it would send $500 to eligible claimants who’d waited more than 60 days for payment — an estimated total of 10,000 residents.

This post has been updated to remove the incorrect note that DOES did not respond to a request for comment.