Disaster Unemployment Assistance

If you are out of work as a direct result of Hurricane Irene and want to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, please call 1-866-795-8877 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The deadline for all 35 counties has been extended to November 1, 2011.

Si está sin trabajo como resultado del huracán Irene y quiere aplicar para assistencia de beneficios de desempleo (DUA) , llame nuestro número de emergencia, 1-866-795-8877.

Click here for additional information.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available from the N.C. Employment Security Commission for workers or business owners in 35 counties whose jobs or businesses were impacted by damage from Hurricane Irene. The funding is a result of Gov. Perdue securing federal disaster assistance.

The impacted counties include: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Currituck, Craven, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, Wayne and Wilson counties.

Workers in those counties who became unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Irene impacting North Carolina, may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits under the DUA program. Business owners affected by the storm may also qualify for benefits.

Workers or business owners meeting the following criteria may be eligible for benefits:

• Individuals who are unemployed due to the disaster, and do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits
• Self-employed individuals and small business owners who lost income due to the disaster
• Individuals who were prevented from working due to an injury caused by the disaster
• Individuals who have become the major supplier of household income due to the disaster-related death or injury of the previous major supplier of household income
• Individuals who are unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster
• Individuals who were to commence employment or self-employment but were prevented by the disaster

There is no waiting period to file for benefits. Affected workers can receive benefits dated back to the week ending September 3, 2011.

DUA is funded entirely by the Federal Government.