Unemployment Assistance Available For Disaster Victims
Release Date: September 20, 2008
Release Number: 1785-046
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tropical Storm Fay brought more than flooding. It put people out of work. But people, such as the self-employed, who normally would not be eligible for unemployment may get help through the state-managed, federally funded Disaster Unemployment Assistance program.
If you lost your job because of Tropical Storm Fay and associated flooding or became unemployed as a result of the disaster, you may be eligible to receive unemployment compensation.
The benefits are administered by Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Federal disaster unemployment can extend for as long as 26 weeks from the day the disaster is declared and will end Feb. 21, 2009.
The deadline for filing applications in Brevard, Hendry, Okeechobee, St. Lucie and Volusia counties is Sept. 29. The application deadline for claims in Duval, Lee, Leon, Seminole and Wakulla counties is Oct. 2. For those in Baker, Collier, Glades, Jefferson, Lake, Marion, Nassau, Orange and Polk counties, the deadline is Oct. 15.
You can apply if, as a direct result of the disaster, you:
- Became unemployed; or
- Are unable to reach your place of employment; or
- Were scheduled to begin work and do not have a job or are unable to reach the job; or
- Became the major support of a household because the head of the household died; or
- Cannot work because of an injury; and
- Have exhausted entitlement to state unemployment compensation; and
- Have been working or residing in the county for which the disaster has been officially declared.
You can apply online at www.floridajobs.org or www.fluidnow.com. You can also apply by calling 800-204-2418, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The nearest Disaster Recovery Center can also provide help.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Monday, 22-Sep-2008 08:52:11