WorkForce West Virginia announced that Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits will be expanded to include qualifying persons residing or working in Clay, Fayette, Monroe, Roane, Summers, Pocahontas and Webster counties. Residents and workers in Kanawha, Greenbrier and Nicholas Counties were declared eligible earlier this week.
These counties have been included as part of the Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This announcement amends the disaster declared on June 25, 2016, to include these additional counties for individual assistance. DUA benefits can be paid to individuals who do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits.
“The destruction of the storm was far reaching – encompassing residents as well as the workforce in these counties,” said Russell Fry, acting executive director of WorkForce West Virginia. “If you live or work in one of these counties and have been unemployed due to flooding that occurred beginning June 22, 2016, you should apply for these federal benefits. Our staff is ready to help.”
New claims for DUA for the seven counties need to be filed by July 29, 2016. The benefits cover self-employed workers not usually entitled to regular unemployment insurance, including farmers. Those who apply for DUA need to provide proof of past earnings at the time they file their claim, such as business records, bank statements and their most recent income tax form. Any WorkForce West Virginia One Stop Office can accept DUA claims, including the Charleston, Beckley, Mercer County, Summersville and Parkersburg offices which serve the affected counties.
Earlier this week, residents living or working in the counties of Kanawha, Greenbrier and Nicholas became eligible to apply for DUA benefits. The deadline for claims in those counties is July 27, 2016.
DUA benefits are available for those who lost their jobs directly because of the flood, as well as (1) individuals who are unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster, (2) individuals who were to begin employment or self-employment but were prevented by the disaster, (3) individuals who became the breadwinner or major support for a household because of the death of the head of household due to the disaster, or (4) individuals who cannot work or perform services in self-employment because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster.
Unemployment is a direct result of the major disaster if the unemployment resulted from (1) the physical damage or destruction of the place of employment; (2) the physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state, or local government in immediate response to the disaster; or (3) lack of work, or loss of revenue, if prior to the disaster the employer or self-employed business received at least a majority of its revenue from an entity in the major disaster area that was damaged or destroyed, or an entity in the major disaster area that was closed by the federal, state, or local government.
In addition to DUA claim assistance, WorkForce West Virginia One Stop Offices offer reemployment services, including testing, counseling and job placement. More information is available online at www.workforcewv.org.
