The New York State Department of Labor in July 2021 issued regulations implementing the Excluded Worker Fund (EWF), approved by the New York Legislature in April 2021. The EWF is a $2.1 billion fund designed to give financial aid to New Yorkers who lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic but were not able to avail themselves of the relief under the federal or state programs, including unemployment and pandemic benefits, which had been set up to assist those who lost employment during the pandemic. The EWF Regulations were published in the July 28 issue of the NYS Register.