Disaster Unemployment Assistance might be (or soon might be) available to eligible employees and self-employed individuals who’ve recently lost their jobs or income, because of damage caused by severe storms and resulting straight-line winds, tornadoes or floods.
Editor’s Note: Employee Rights Blog has added more information to this post since initially published. See Update below.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is a special program funded by the federal government that becomes active, if needed, after the President of the United States has declared one or more major disaster areas in a state.
President Obama recently declared disaster areas in the following southern states because of severe storms and related straight-line winds, tornadoes or flooding. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), all of the states listed are eligible for federal funding to pay up to 26 weeks of Disaster Unemployment Assistance in the affected counties that warrant it. Whether or not DUA is or will be available in those counties is up to the states.
Alabama | Georgia
Mississippi | North Carolina | Oklahoma
Update: From 5/1 through 5/10, President Obama also declared disaster areas in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, Minnesota and twice again in Tennessee, due to tornadoes, straight-line winds or flooding. However, according to FEMA at this writing, only Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri are eligible for DUA funding. See Major Disaster Declarations at the FEMA Web site for disaster areas that the president declared before 4/19 or after 5/10.
Employees who have lost their jobs as a direct result of the disasters in the declared areas might be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, if not eligible for standard state unemployment benefits or extended unemployment benefits. Because self-employed individuals typically aren’t eligible for either standard or extended benefits, DUA also covers self-employed individuals who have lost income due to a disaster and meet the other eligibility requirements.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits are similar to standard state unemployment benefits and subsequently, are determined according to each state’s unemployment insurance regulations. To file a claim for DUA when available (or standard or extended benefits), contact the state unemployment office or a full-service One-Stop Career Center. Contact same to first find out if DUA is available.
Don’t delay for long in filing your DUA claim, as the window is typically open for only 30 days after DUA becomes available; but, it usually takes time for it to become available after the president declares a disaster area. Additionally, states typically extend the filing deadline if damage is severe, or some local unemployment offices or One-Stop Career Centers are closed due to damage. So, even if more than 30 days have come and gone since the disaster declaration, you still might have time to file.
If you live in a declared disaster area and are unemployed, then you might be entitled to work a temporary disaster recovery job with pay.
To apply for other disaster assistance due to a severe storm, straight-line winds, tornado or flood, see Apply for Assistance at FEMA or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster victims who have speech or hearing impairments may call 1-800-462-7585 through their TTY devices.
Beware of scams! Con artists crawl out of their dark and slimy places after disasters, to exploit victims by charging bogus fees for filing Disaster Unemployment Assistance claims. Filing a claim for DUA is always free, as is filing a claim for standard or extended unemployment benefits. Never pay a fee, no matter how “governmentally official” or unsuspecting the so-called “offer” seems. There are several other disaster recovery scams to avoid too.
