Disaster Assistance Deadline Friday

Eagle Times Staff
MONTPELIER, VT — The Vermont Labor Department is reminding Vermonters impacted by the July floods that the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits application deadline is Sept. 29.

The Biden Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Administration declared Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties as federal disaster areas. Under this declaration, individuals living, working or scheduled to work in the counties may be eligible for assistance. This includes independent contractors, those who are self-employed and agricultural workers.

Individuals seeking assistance through the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program must first file for regular unemployment benefits. As part of the application process, claimants should indicate that their employment was impacted by the disaster. The Department of Labor will determine if the claimant is eligible for regular unemployment first, as required by FEMA. If the claimant is deemed ineligible for regular unemployment insurance, the applicant will be provided with the DUA application. Eligible Vermonters can collect benefits for the weeks during which they meet the necessary program criteria.

Examples of eligible DUA claims may include:

• The claimant was injured in the disaster and is unable to work, whether they are an employee or self-employed;

• The claimant’s workplace was damaged, destroyed, or not in operation as a result of the disaster;

• The claimant’s transportation to work is not available as a direct result of the disaster;

• The claimant cannot get to their job because they must travel through an impacted area and are unable to do so as a direct result of the disaster;

• The claimant was about to begin working, but the job no longer exists as a direct result of the disaster;

• Most of the claimant’s income comes from areas affected by the disaster, whether they work for themselves or an employer, and their business is adversely impacted as a direct result of the disaster.

Individuals interested in Disaster Unemployment Assistance can find more information online at https://labor.vermont.gov/dua or by calling the UI Claimant Assistance Center at 1-877-214-3330.