10/09/2024
CT Department of Labor: FEMA Authorizes Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program for Flood Victims
**PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE. Updated FEMA guidance requires Disaster Unemployment Assistance applications to be filed by November 19, 2024, as highlighted below.
(Wethersfield, CT) – Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo today announced that FEMA has authorized the agency to launch federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for those residents who experienced job interruption or loss due to the August 2024 flooding. Disaster Unemployment Assistance is a federal program that supports workers whose employment was lost or interrupted by a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular state unemployment insurance benefits. DUA covers workers, some residents who are self-employed, and the surviving spouses of heads of household who died due to the storm.
President Biden approved Connecticut’s major disaster declaration for the FEMA Individual Assistance Program for Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven counties, areas that experienced extreme rain and flooding on August 18-19, 2024. Governor Ned Lamont announced business recovery centers to help employers apply for federal aid.
Commissioner Bartolomeo said, “The August flooding caused more than 100 Connecticut businesses to shut down during the storm and recovery. CTDOL urges workers who were affected to carefully read the eligibility guidelines and file for unemployment benefits right away. Some residents may recall Disaster Unemployment Assistance from Hurricane Ida in 2021. This program requires that workers file for and be denied state unemployment benefits in order to be eligible for federal benefits. It’s one more step for approval, but disaster benefits cover a broader cohort of workers who aren’t ordinarily eligible for regular unemployment benefits. CTDOL thanks Governor Lamont, President Biden, and our state and federal partners who ensured this relief was available to Connecticut residents.”
Eligibility for Disaster Unemployment Assistance includes:
- Residents who live, work, or travel to work through impacted areas—Fairfield County, Litchfield County, or New Haven County.
- Individuals who were to start work or self-employment but were prevented from doing so due to the flooding.
- Workers who experienced unemployment or reduced hours due to:
- Flooding to their place of business;
- Road or other closures;
- Lack of work because the business depends on a non-operational entity within the affected area; or
- Experienced injury caused directly by the storm.
- Workers who have proof of employment, documentation of wages, and earnings for the 2023 tax year;
- Workers who have documentation of wages or lost earnings directly related to the flooding; or
- Individuals who became the major source of financial support for a household due
to the death of the head of household.
Claimants must first file for regular state unemployment benefits at www.FileCTUI.com. Once a claimant is found ineligible for state benefits, they must then file for Disaster Unemployment Assistance by calling the Consumer Contact Center.
Under federal law, the filing deadline for Connecticut Disaster Unemployment Assistance is November 19, 2024. (Updated from December 9, 2024, per FEMA)
The CTDOL Consumer Contact Center is open Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM. Residents may call (203) 941-6868; (860) 967-0493; (800) 842-9710; or TTY – 711.
###
For Immediate Release: October 9, 2024
#DR-4820
Media Contact:
CTDOL Communications Unit
200 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield, CT 06109-1114
Email: CTDOL.Communications@ct.gov | https://www.ct.gov/dol