The deadline for impacted Iowans in Scott County to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) has been extended to Monday, Oct. 28, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) announced.
IWD is accepting applications for DUA from individuals in Scott County whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and/or flooding stemming from weather that began on June 16.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) support also is available for Scott County residents impacted by severe storms, wind and flooding on June 16.
The extended application announcement applies only to residents of Scott County. Previously, the Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-(DR-4796-IA) permitted Iowans in 15 other impacted counties to apply for DUA. However, Scott County was not designated for individual assistance until Aug. 28, days after the initial filing deadline (Aug. 23) ha already passed.
IWD requested, and was granted, an extended deadline from the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure Iowans have a reasonable timetable to file DUA claims.
To be eligible for DUA benefits under Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-(DR-4796-IA), individuals:
- Must be an unemployed or self-unemployed worker whose unemployment was caused as a direct result of the major disaster declared by the president.
- Must be a U.S. national or a qualified alien.
- Must be unable to qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state.
- Must have worked, been self-employed in, or been scheduled to begin work or self-employment in one of the counties listed above.
- Must establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
Others who are eligible
Also eligible to apply for DUA, IWD said, are individuals who:
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment as a direct result of a disaster; or
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused 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 the household; or
- Cannot work or perform self-employment due to closure of a facility by the federal government.
Individuals will need their Social Security Number and the name and address of their last employer or prospective employer to file for DUA.
Applicants are required to provide proof that they were employed or self-employed at the time the disaster occurred or were scheduled to begin (or resume) a job or self-employment when the disaster occurred.Â
Applicants may also need a copy of the most recent federal income tax forms or check stubs (self-employed individuals should also provide Schedules SE and Schedule C or Schedule F).
Applications filed after Monday, Oct. 28, will be considered untimely, unless the individual provides good cause for filing after this date. Individuals can receive up to 27 weeks of DUA benefits as long as his/her unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster. Eligibility for DUA benefits will be determined on a week-to-week basis.
How To apply
Individuals who may be eligible for assistance, must file a claim online with IWD’s Unemployment Benefits Online Application System (workforce.iowa.gov).
If assistance is needed, call IWD Customer Service at 1-866-239-0843 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After a claim application has been submitted, refer to the additional DUA information on the agency’s website.