Disaster Unemployment Assistance Deadline Extended to Dec. 12 

Release Date: November 12, 2008
Release Number: 1791-249

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Texans who became unemployed because of Hurricane Ike have more time to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), now that the deadline has been extended to Dec. 12, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM).

This is the second time the DUA deadline has been extended. State and federal disaster recovery officials say another 30 days should give Texans in need of unemployment assistance enough time to apply.

The DUA program is funded by FEMA through the U.S. Department of Labor and administered by the Texas Workforce Commission.  To date, more than 7,000 eligible Texans have been approved for assistance totaling more than $2.1 million.

To apply before the mid-December deadline, workers can go online to www.texasworkforce.org or call a Texas Workforce Unemployment Insurance Tele-Center at:

Austin
512-340-4300

Dallas
972-339-6200

El Paso
915-832-6400

Fort Worth
817-420-1600

Houston
281-983-1100

McAllen
956-984-4700

San Antonio
210-258-6600

Toll-Free from Elsewhere
1-800-939-6631

Phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

DUA applies to Texans in the 34 counties designated to receive assistance for individuals, whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to the hurricane and to anyone living outside a designated county whose employment in a designated county was affected.

The 34 counties are Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Cherokee, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gregg, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller and Washington.

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, 13-Nov-2008 08:46:06