If you lost your job or gig because of Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee, you have an extra month to apply for the U.S. Department of Labor's Disaster Unemployment Insurance.
Victims of Lee in Delaware and Ulster counties have until Nov. 14 to apply for assistance, and victims of Irene in Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster have until November 16 to apply. (The time extension for the Lee benefits were just announced yesterday.)
The criteria are broad, so the best way to find out if you qualify is to call. Detailed info from the New York State Department of Labor's website below:
Individuals that live or work in one of the counties declared as a disaster, who have become unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee, may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) relief. You may qualify for DUA even though you would not normally be eligible for UI benefits. The first step for those affected is to call the Telephone Claims Center (TCC) at 1-888-209-8124, or 1-877-358-5306 if you live out of state. Answer the questions to indicate that you lost your job as a direct result of the effects of Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee.
In order to receive DUA, you must live or work in one of the following counties and apply for DUA benefits by the application end date noted:
- Application end date has been extended to November 14, 2011 for all counties impacted by Tropical Storm Lee - Broome, Chenango, Chemung, Delaware, Fulton, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Schenectady, Tioga and Ulster counties.
- Application end date has been extended to November 16, 2011 for all counties impacted by Hurricane Irene - Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Herkimer, Kings, Montgomery, Nassau, Otsego, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington and Westchester counties.
Examples of reasons for unemployment that may make a person eligible to receive Disaster Unemployment Assistance:
- You were injured in the disaster and are unable to work, whether you are an employee or self-employed. Your workplace was damaged, destroyed, or you can't work because of the disaster.
- Your transportation to work is not available because of the disaster.
- You cannot get to your job because you must travel through the affected area, and you cannot do that because of the disaster.
- You were about to begin working, but could not because of the disaster.
- You derived most of your income from areas affected by the disaster, whether you worked for yourself or for an employer, and your business is down as a direct result of the disaster.
Please note - this list may not be exhaustive, and if you are uncertain as to your eligibility, you are encouraged to apply. All applicants will be required to submit wage information and documentation supporting their application.
