Individuals living or working in Macomb, Oakland or Wayne Counties and whose employment was lost or interrupted due to the severe storms and flooding on August 11-13, 2014, may be eligible for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
Governor Snyder requested a presidential disaster declaration for the counties, which was issued by President Obama on September 25, 2014. The disaster declaration makes available federal funding for a variety of assistance programs, including disaster unemployment assistance.
Disaster unemployment assistance is available for workers who temporarily lost jobs as a direct result of the disaster, and who do not qualify for any other state unemployment benefits. Individuals must have been employed, self-employed or were scheduled to begin or resume work in Macomb, Oakland or Wayne Counties at the time the disaster occurred.
Before applying for the federal DUA benefits, individuals must first apply for regular state unemployment benefits online at the unemployment agency website at www.michigan.gov/uia.
Eligibility for regular state unemployment benefits will be determined first before eligibility for DUA benefits will be considered.
To file for DUA, individuals will be prompted to file for a regular state unemployment benefit claim. Individuals will need to provide their Social Security Number and the name and address of their last employer or prospective employer. Applicants are also required to provide proof (within 21 days of filing their DUA claim) that they were employed or self-employed at the time the disaster occurred, or were scheduled to begin (or resume) a job when the disaster occurred.
Upon receipt and confirmation of a regular unemployment claim, the (UIA) agency will determine if individuals are able to qualify for DUA benefits. Eligible claimants may be eligible to receive up to 32 weeks of DUA benefits as long as his or her unemployment continues to be a direct result of the disaster. Eligibility for DUA benefits will be determined on a week-to-week basis.
Applications for DUA must be filed with the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) by November 3, 2014.
To be eligible for DUA benefits under Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA 4195-DR, individuals:
· Must be an unemployed or self-unemployed worker whose unemployment was caused as a direct result of the major disaster declared by the President
· Must be a U.S. national or a qualified alien; and
· Must not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state; and
· Must have worked or were self-employed in, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in, one of the counties listed above; and
· Must establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
Also eligible to apply for DUA are individuals who
· Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of a disaster; or
· Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster; or
· became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household; or,
· Cannot work or perform self-employment due to closure of a facility by the federal government.
Source: LARA
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