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Press Release
Federal Reemployment Assistance Available for Additional Counties
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to Florida businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a result of Hurricane Irma.
President Donald J. Trump officially granted a major disaster declaration request. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is currently accepting applications for DUA from residents and businesses in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Orange, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Union and Volusia counties.
Individuals affected in these designated-disaster areas must file DUA applications by October 16, 2017.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available to those who:
- Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment;
- Are not able to work or perform services because of physical damage of destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster;
- Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their principal source of income;
- Do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits from any state;
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; or
- Became the breadwinner or major supporter of a household because of the death of the head of household.
Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause. Applicants must submit their Social Security number, check stubs and documentation to support the claim that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. In some cases, additional documentation may be required. To receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the date the DUA application is filed.
DUA is available from weeks of unemployment beginning September 10, 2017 until March 17, 2018, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster. To file a DUA claim go to http://www.floridajobs.org/ or call 1-800-385-3920. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to assist claimants. For DUA claims information, call 1-800-204-2418 and choose option 2 to speak to a customer service representative.
