Deadlines Approaching to File for Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Posted: Oct 1, 2012 1:21 PM

BATON ROUGE - Residents in several parishes face deadlines this week to
file for Disaster Unemployment Assistance for Hurricane Isaac, the
Louisiana Workforce Commission announced today.

A total of 21 parishes approved for FEMA's individual disaster assistance
for Isaac are eligible for DUA. The deadlines to file for DUA in each
parish vary based on when the parish was announced as eligible. Workers who
lost their jobs and self-employed individuals who were unable to perform
services as of the week-ending date of Sept. 8 because of the disaster are
potentially eligible.

The deadlines are as follows:
· Tuesday, Oct. 2 -- Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston,
Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist and St.
Tammany parishes.
· Friday, Oct. 5 -- St. Charles and Tangipoahoa parishes.
· Monday, Oct. 8 -- Assumption, Iberville, St. Helena, St. James,
St. Mary, Terrebonne and Washington parishes
· Monday, Oct. 15 -- East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and West
Feliciana parishes.

Applications filed after the deadline for that parish will be considered
untimely unless the individual provides good cause for filing after the
deadline.

To receive DUA benefits, individuals must provide their Social Security
number, proof of wages, and proof of employment, including the name and
address of the last employer. Proof of employment must be received within
21 days of the filing date of the claim. Self-employed individuals must
provide their business and financial records, including federal income tax
returns for 2011.

The DUA program is federally funded but administered by the LWC. The LWC is
accepting claims according to the filing periods for each parish as
determined by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The LWC is accepting all DUA and regular unemployment insurance claims at
www.laworks.net. People without internet access or who experience trouble
filing online can call the LWC toll free at 1-866-783-5567. The LWC's
Business and Career Solutions Centers have computers available for people
to file claims. Center staff members also are available to assist job
seekers and employers.

The DUA period ends March 2, 2013, as long as the claimant's unemployment
continues to be a result of Hurricane Isaac.

Before an individual can be determined eligible for DUA, it must be
established that the individual is not eligible for regular unemployment
insurance benefits or extended unemployment compensation (under any state
or federal law).

DUA is available to unemployed U.S. nationals and qualified aliens who
worked or were self-employed if they:

· Worked or were self employed in or were scheduled to begin work
or self employment in an area declared as a federal 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 a
disaster;
· Establish that the work or self employment they can no longer
perform was their primary source of income;
· Do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from
any state;
· Cannot perform work or self employment because of an injury, or
because they were incapacitated as a direct result of the
disaster;
· Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of
the death of the head of the household;
· Cannot work or perform self employment due to closure of a
facility by the federal government;
· Lose a majority of income or revenue because the employer or
self-employed business was damaged, destroyed, or closed by the
federal government.