The administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is reminding residents that were left unemployed because of Hurricane Sandy that that they have less than two weeks to file an application for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). The announcement was made in a press release on Jan. 22, 2013.
DUA was made available by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development immediately after the October storm to affected individuals who did not qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance. Covering self-employed individuals and many hourly workers, the special federal assistance was made available to those who were living or working in the state at the time of the disaster and who were left unemployed as a direct result of the damages.
DUA can pay benefits for a period of up to 27 weeks after October 28, 2012. However, any DUA claims filed after the February 4, 2013, deadline may not be eligible for benefit payment. All DUA applications must be received or postmarked by the state Division of Unemployment Insurance on or before February 4, 2013. Of the 4,205 claims received by the Division of Unemployment Insurance to date, 2,058 are collecting the benefit, and another 1,189 are still under review.
You must first file for regular state Unemployment Insurance benefits before it can be determined if you qualify for DUA benefits. DUA applications are available on the Division of Unemployment Insurance website at: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/ui/aftrfile/dua.html
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