If a business temporarily closes during a pandemic, will there be any financial assistance program available from the federal government to help workers?
Category: Unemployment Issues and Financial Assistance Questions
Answer:
Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are available to workers who meet program eligibility requirements. In general, individuals must be able to work and available for work to receive benefits. To qualify for UI, workers must have worked and earned a sufficient amount of wages during a recent one-year period and they must meet other state eligibility requirements.
Following a “major disaster” declaration under the Stafford Act, additional individual assistance, including Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), may become available to eligible persons. DUA provides financial assistance to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States and who do not qualify for UI benefits (under any state or Federal law). The DUA program is administered by the states as agents of the federal government. More information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Web site at ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/disaster.asp.
Note: As an overall matter, employers should be guided in their relationship with their employees not only by federal employment law, but by their own employee handbooks, manuals, and contracts (including bargaining agreements), and by any applicable state or local laws.
Not all of the employment laws referenced apply to all employers or all employees, particularly state and local government agencies. For information on whether a particular employer or employee is covered by a law, please use the links provided for more detailed information. This information is not intended for federal agencies or federal employees -- they should contact the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for guidance.
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Last Updated: 01/25/2008
