DES MOINES, IOWA (May 9, 2019) — On May 7, 2019, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared individuals in Louisa county eligible for individual assistance. FEMA determined that this county was adversely affected by the event declared a major disaster by the President in his Declaration of March 23, 2019.

Citizens in Louisa County are now eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (already designated for public assistance). Applications for DUA must be filed by June 10, 2019 for individuals affected in Louisa County.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA)

DUA is available to eligible individuals as a result of a major disaster declared by the President on March 23, 2019. Iowa Workforce Development is accepting applications for DUA from individuals in the following counties: Fremont, Harrison, Louisa, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Shelby, and Woodbury, whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to severe storms and flooding beginning March 12, 2019.

Deadlines

Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely, unless the individual provides good cause for filing after this date. Individuals can receive up to 27 weeks of DUA benefits as long as his/her unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster. Eligibility for DUA benefits will be determined on a week-to-week basis.  Applications for individuals in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Woodbury counties, needed to have been filed by April 25, 2019. Applications for individuals affected in Pottawattamie and Shelby counties must be filed by May 17, 2019. Applications for individuals affected Louisa county must be filed by June 10, 2019.

Eligibility

To be eligible for DUA benefits under the Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-[DR 4421], individuals:

  • Must be an unemployed or self-unemployed worker whose unemployment was caused as a direct result of the major disaster declared by the President.
  • Must be a U.S. national or a qualified alien; and
  • Do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state; and
  • Must have worked or was self-employed in, or was scheduled to begin work or self-employment in one of the counties listed above; and must establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.

Also eligible to apply for DUA are individuals who:

  • Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment as a direct result of a disaster; or
  • Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster; or
  • Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household; or
  • Cannot work or perform self-employment due to closure of a facility by the federal government.

What You Need

Individuals will need their Social Security Number and the name and address of their last employer or prospective employer to file for DUA. Applicants are required to provide proof (at the time of filing or within 21 days of filing their DUA claim) that they were employed or self-employed at the time the disaster occurred or were scheduled to begin (or resume) a job or self-employment when the disaster occurred. A copy of the most recent federal income-tax forms or check stubs may also be required (self-employed individuals should also provide Schedules SE and Schedule C or Schedule F).

How to Apply

Individuals who want to apply for assistance, must file a claim online at iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/file-claim-unemployment-insurance-benefits. Claim applications can be filed online at any time.  If assistance is needed over phone, please call IWD Customer Service at 866-239-0843. After a claim application has been submitted, refer to the additional DUA information on our website at iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/disaster-unemployment-assistance-0.

Initial Press Release for Presidential Disaster Declaration

On March 23, 2019, Governor Kim Reynolds received notification that President Trump has granted her request for an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for public and individual assistance in Iowa. This declaration included several counties in Iowa and made assistance available to homeowners, renters, businesses, public entities, and select nonprofit organizations.

IWD is committed to helping Iowans recover from the flood. Please contact us for assistance in filing for DUA or for assistance in finding new employment or employees.

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