Disaster Unemployment Assistance Amended For Hurricane Isaac
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September 10, 2012
Jackson -
An amendment has been made to the September 1, 2012 federal disaster declaration, adding the following 13 counties to the list of declared disaster areas from Hurricane Isaac damages: Adams, Amite, Clarke, Forrest, George, Hinds, Lincoln, Marion, Pike, Stone, Walthall, Warren, and Wilkinson counties.
The Mississippi Department of Employment Security announced today that it has begun accepting applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance from those living or working in these 13 counties.
Affected workers included in these new counties have until October 10, 2012, to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
On September 4, 2012, MDES announced that Disaster Unemployment Assistance was available in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, and Pearl River counties. Workers in these counties have until October 4, 2012, to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
Self-employed individuals, who were living or working in the affected areas at the time of the major disaster, and those who are unemployed as a result of the major disaster, may be eligible for DUA. In addition, those who were unable to reach their jobs, because the disaster prevented their travel, or who were scheduled to begin employment, but the disaster prevented them from doing so, may apply.
Eligible to apply for DUA are individuals who: (1) became the major support for a household because of the disaster-related death of the head of the household; (2) cannot work because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster; (3) could not work or lost work as a result of physical damage or destruction of a business, and; (4) are unable to work because of the physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal government.
Individuals in all 17 of the Hurricane Isaac disaster declaration counties in Mississippi can apply online 24 hours a day at www.mdes.ms.gov or by calling toll-free, 1-888-844-3577 from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.
