Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available for 25 Louisiana parishes, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Friday.
Edwards says the eligible parishes are:
Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafource, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.
The program is available for businesses or residents whose employment of self-employment was lost or halted due to Hurricane Ida.
DUA will be available for weeks of unemployment from Aug. 29 through March 5, 2022, as long as unemployment continues due to Ida during that timeframe.
Applications are being taken through Oct. 4. Those submitted after that date might be considered if the person provides a good reason for missing the deadline.
Applicants can file their DUA applications online at LAWorks.Net.
The assistance is available to those falling under these guidelines:
- Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment; and
- Do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), or Extended Benefits (EB) from any state; and
- Were 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; or
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster; or
- Can not physically access the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state, or local government in immediate response to the disaster; or
- Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their principal source of income; or
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury 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 household.
Proof of employment has to be submitted within 21 days after the claim is filed. These are the documents being accepted:
- Payroll voucher closest in date to the last work week
- Employment and earnings statement from employer with name, address and contact information
- Written statement from employer
- Notarized affidavit from person with name, address and contact information who can verify claimant’s employment and unemployment (this is for those workers who are unable to reach their employer)
- Business records (bank statements, business receipts, licenses, advertisements, invoices, appointment books, financial statements)
- Notarized statement from person with name, address, and contact information who can verify your self-employment and unemployment.
For those who are self-employed, 2020 federal income tax return and schedules can serve as proof of prior wages, but does not count for proof of employment at the time of Ida hitting the area.
Those already getting unemployment insurance benefits due to COVID-19 do not need to apply for DUA.
More information for those interested can be found here.
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