Disaster Unemployment Aid Available to Workers in Maverick, Moore, Swisher and Denton Counties
Release Date: May 10, 2007
Release Number: 1697-011
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EAGLE PASS, Texas -- Workers in Maverick, Moore, and Swisher counties, who were affected by severe storms and tornadoes of April 21-24, have until June 2, 2007, to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) under the Presidential Disaster Declaration of May 1. Those in Denton have a deadline of June 7 to apply for DUA.
To be eligible for help under Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-1697-DR, you must:
- Have worked or been scheduled to work in the disaster area, but because of the disaster no longer have a job or a place to work in the area, or you could not get to your place of work because of disaster damage;
- Have been prevented from working by an injury or illness as a direct result of the disaster; or
- Have become the head of the household and need employment because the head of the household died as a result of the disaster.
To claim DUA, affected individuals' unemployment must be a direct result of one of the following:
- The physical damage or destruction of the place of employment;
- The physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state or local government in immediate response to the disaster; or
- Lack of work, or loss of revenues, if, prior to the disaster, the employer or self-employed business received at least a majority of its revenue or income from an entity in the major disaster area that was damaged or destroyed in the disaster or an entity in the major disaster area closed by the federal, state, or local government.
Often, business owners who are self-employed are not aware of potential benefits to which they may be entitled. If you are self-employed, but have lost all or part of your livelihood as a result of this disaster, you may well be eligible for benefits. You must provide federal income tax forms (Schedules SE and Schedule C or Schedule F) to receive disaster unemployment benefits.
To receive DUA benefits, workers must provide documentation indicating an employment record at the time of the disaster or verification of the weeks the applicant was scheduled to work. TWC officials understand that because of property losses, some individuals may not have necessary information readily available. Each claim is considered individually. Therefore, if you believe you may be eligible for assistance, please call the TWC Tele-Center network at 800-939-6631, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time to talk with a representative or file a claim.
When calling to apply for benefits you should have available, when possible, your:
- Social Security number; and
- Name and address of your last employer or prospective employer.
Claims filed after June 2, 2007 for Maverick, Moore and Swisher Counties and those after June 7, 2007 for Denton County will be considered untimely and benefits denied, unless the individual provides good cause for filing after this date.
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: Thursday, 10-May-2007 15:15:26