Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available in Brevard, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Volusia and Hendry Counties, through the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.
The Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation (commonly referred to as the “Florida Unemployment Office”) will qualify more counties for Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance, if further damage assessments justify it.
The application deadline in the current counties is September 29, 2008. Where to apply is included below.
If you’re an employee or self-employed individual who has become unemployed, lost income or couldn’t start a new job due to damage directly caused by Tropical Storm Fay, then you might be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
If you’ve become the household breadwinner because the previous breadwinner died as direct result of Tropical Storm Fay, then you too might be eligible for DUA.
To receive Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance, among other requirements, you must be ineligible to receive standard state unemployment benefits or the extended unemployment benefits recently authorized. If you are eligible for either standard or extended benefits, then you’d collect those instead of DUA. To determine your final eligibility for any of the benefits, you must apply.
Extended Unemployment Benefits are also referred to as “Emergency Unemployment Compensation,” but the program is not the same as Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
To apply for standard, extended or DUA benefits, you may do so by calling 800-204-2418 (M-F 8 AM to 5 PM EDT) or by filing your claim over the Internet at the Web site of the Florida Unemployment Office. More information about Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available at the Web site.
Other Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Assistance
To apply for local or state humanitarian disaster assistance, such as food, clothing or shelter, take a valid form of identification to the nearest Disaster Recovery Center. (For recovery information and updates, see the page dedicated to Tropical Storm Fay from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.) The American Red Cross (1-800-733-2767 or 1-800-257-7575 en Español) is also prepared to help you.
If you need Federal disaster assistance (other than DUA) as a result of Tropical Storm Fay, see Apply for Assistance at the Web site of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or call 1-800-621-3362 (TTY 1-800-462-7585).
If you need legal assistance as result of Tropical Storm Fay, local lawyers often volunteer to help disaster victims by charging no fees or only small fees. A free lawyer referral service might help you to find one, as might a Florida legal-aid organization.
If you need a temporary job to get you through, see the blog post Tropical Storm Fay Temporary Cleanup Jobs. To look for other employment, start at the Job Search page.
