Deadline For Disaster Unemployment Assistance Is This Week
Release Date: April 3, 2007
Release Number: 1687-043
» More Information on Alabama Severe Storms and Tornadoes
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Deadlines to file for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) are this week.
Thursday, April 5, is the deadline for Coffee County and Friday, April 6, is the deadline for Dale, Dallas, Henry, Montgomery and Wilcox counties. People who work in Jefferson County have until April 24.
Alabama employees and business owners who have lost their jobs or suffered a loss of income as a direct result of the March 1 storms and tornadoes may be eligible for a special federal and state Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program, according to officials of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Persons eligible for DUA benefits are those who worked in or live in the affected counties and who became unemployed as a direct result of the disaster.
This program is not dependent on a worker's contributions to the state's unemployment compensation program. Generally, persons who are eligible for state unemployment benefits are not eligible for DUA. However, a claimant may qualify for DUA if state unemployment compensation benefits are exhausted. It is completely separate and designated for those affected by disasters. It is funded by FEMA.
The following are conditions that may qualify applicants for the program:
-
Unemployed as a direct consequence of the disaster
-
Self-employed, such as farmers, farm workers or trades people, who have lost income as a result of the floods
-
Small business owners
-
Individuals injured in the disaster
-
Anyone not eligible for standard state unemployment benefits, such as seasonal workers and migrant workers
Alabama Industrial Relations administers the federally funded supplemental disaster unemployment program. Individual claims should be filed by calling (866) 234-5382 or online at the Industrial Relations Website at www.dir.alabama.gov.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, economic status or retaliation. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, you should call FEMA toll-free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or contact your State Office of Equal rights. If suspicious of any abuse of FEMA programs, please contact the fraud hotline at 1-800-323-8603.
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: Tuesday, 03-Apr-2007 11:20:00