You might be eligible for Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance, if you're now unemployed because you worked or were self-employed in a county or region devastated by Hurricane Katrina. If you're unemployed and became the breadwinner or a major support contributor in your household, because the head of your household died as a result of Hurricane Katrina, you too might be eligible for Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
To be eligible for Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance, among other requirements, you must have exhausted or otherwise be ineligible for standard unemployment benefits. In other words, you might be entitled to one or the other, but not both. Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits are administered by state unemployment offices as agents of the Federal government.
To determine your eligibility for either standard unemployment benefits or Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance, contact or file an official unemployment claim with the unemployment office for the Katrina-ravaged state in which you or the deceased head of your household worked (including self-employment). (See also the specific unemployment office links below.) Typically, you may file a claim online or by phone. You have only a limited amount of time to file. (See the box below.) So, be sure to file as soon as it's practical.
The Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program is active only in the relevant counties or regions in states that the U.S. President declares as disaster areas. Almost immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit, President Bush declared each of the following states as disaster areas. Each state in the list below is linked directly to the relevant unemployment office Web site, where you may file a claim or locate contact information for same.
If you've evacuated to Texas from Louisiana because of Hurricane Katrina, the Texas unemployment office will help you to apply for Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance or standard unemployment benefits in Louisiana. If you've evacuated to Alabama from Louisiana or Mississippi, the Alabama unemployment office will help you to apply for either type of benefits in your state.
Career One Stop Centers are officially connected to state unemployment offices and are distributed throughout each state. (Your state might call them by a name other than Career One Stop Centers, such as Job Centers.) Some offer all services of unemployment offices, while others offer only limited services. Consequently, a full-service, local Career One Stop Center (if still operating) is a good place to file a claim for either Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance or standard unemployment benefits. It is also a good place to receive free job searching assistance.
Click a link below to locate the nearest Career One Stop Center that has facilities for filing unemployment claims. Alternately, call 877-US-2JOBS (877-872-5627). For TTY, dial 877-889-5627. Texas is included below, because it's helping dislocated Louisiana workers, as mentioned above. Again, Alabama is helping dislocated workers from both Louisiana and Mississippi.
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also has Katrina disaster assistance available for victims. In fact, it provides the funds for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. But FEMA offers more than just Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
| The deadline to file for Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance is by the end of the business day on November 30, 2005. If you don't have the supporting paperwork, file anyway before the deadline. You'll have 90 days to come up with the paperwork. For more information, contact the relevant state unemployment office or Career One Stop Center listed above. |