This year we have seen dangerous ice storms, widespread tornadoes, severe storms with flooding, and wildfires. As we continue through the summer months, severe weather events may not only impact people’s personal lives but may also make it difficult to get to work or even shut down businesses that receive damage from a storm.
Unfortunately, since Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are not the same as regular unemployment benefits, your unemployment claims manager is unable to process and/or assist with DUA claims directly. Despite this, with the continued potential for severe weather and natural disasters to disrupt lives and livelihoods, it is important for your organization to understand what resources are available for those impacted.
Regular Benefits After a Declared Disaster
Regular unemployment benefits may still apply to individuals affected by a declared disaster. These benefits are available to workers who lose their jobs or experience a reduction in work hours through no fault of their own and meet the traditional eligibility criteria, such as:
- Having sufficient work history and earnings during the base period
- Being able, available, and actively seeking work.
After a declared disaster, workers who qualify for regular unemployment benefits may receive weekly benefit payments that help replace a portion of their lost wages, the amount and duration of which vary by state. When applying for benefits, it is important that individuals indicate that their reason for separation is associated with a declared disaster to help expedite the claim process.
If an individual is ineligible for regular unemployment benefits or exhausts their regular benefits, DUA may be available to assist during these challenging times.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Benefits
DUA is a vital program that offers temporary financial support in the form of unemployment benefits to individuals whose employment is affected by federally declared disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and other major events. These benefits are designed for workers who otherwise would not be eligible for regular unemployment benefits, including individuals who are self-employed.
DUA benefits are triggered when a natural disaster or other emergency is declared by the President in response to a request from a state’s governor. This disaster/emergency declaration activates numerous Federal programs that provide assistance for response and recovery from the disaster, including DUA benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) manages the DUA program, working in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to allocate disaster relief funds to the states for benefit payments and administrative costs.
Who Qualifies for DUA Benefits?
In order to be eligible for DUA benefits, an individual must meet qualifying criteria:
- Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits from any state, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits.
- Worked or were self-employed or scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area.
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster.
- Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.
- Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of household.
When submitting an application, individuals must clearly note that their separation resulted from a declared disaster, which helps expedite the claim process.
How Are Benefits Received?
DUA benefits are administered by the individual state workforce agencies but funded by FEMA. As such, application instructions and deadlines vary from state to state and disaster to disaster.
While your unemployment claims manager is unable to process and/or assist with DUA claims directly, we can assist by expediting initial regular unemployment applications.
If you have locations impacted by a hurricane or other severe storms, the best way to get started is by connecting with your client services representative. They can assist with coordinating efforts, including providing a template for you to compile a spreadsheet of impacted employees with the necessary separation details.
About Us
For more than 40 years, 501(c) Services has been a leader in offering solutions for unemployment costs, claims management, and HR support to nonprofit organizations. Two of our most popular programs are the 501(c) Agencies Trust and 501(c) HR Services. We understand the importance of compliance and accuracy and are committed to providing our clients with customized plans that fit their needs.
Contact us today to see if your organization could benefit from our services.
Are you already working with us and need assistance with an HR or unemployment issue? Contact us here.
The information contained in this article is not a substitute for legal advice or counsel and has been pulled from multiple sources. Some information was provided by our friend, Darby Gibson, Client Marketing & Insights Specialist, at Thomas & Company.
Images by Peshkovagalina and The Yuri Arcurs Collection
