Residents of Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties can now apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). DUA is available to workers business owners, and self-employed persons who lost their job or business, or had their work hours reduced or interrupted because of impacts of the severe storms that began on February 21, 2023.
DUA applies to losses beginning the week of February 26, 2023. Eligible full-time workers and self-employed persons can get between $171 and $450 per week for up to 32 weeks. Part-time workers and part-time self-employed persons may be eligible. The last payable week of DUA ends October 7, 2023.
DUA is available to storms victims who meet any of the following criteria:
- Worked or were a business owner or self-employed, or were scheduled to begin or resume work or self-employment, in the disaster area and lost work or had their hours reduced or interrupted because of the disaster.
- Cannot reach work because of the disaster or can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment or self-employment as a direct result of the disaster.
- Live in the major disaster area and cannot reach their place of work or self-employment outside the major disaster area because of the disaster.
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused by the disaster.
- Became the major support for their household because of the death of their head of household caused by the disaster.
Persons must have applied for and used all regular unemployment insurance benefits, or be ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, and remain unemployed, to be eligible for DUA. In addition, the work or self-employment that the person can no longer do must have been their primary source of income.
Applicants must submit all required documentation within 21 days of applying. Required documentation includes the most recent federal tax form or check stubs, or other documentation to support that the applicant was working or self-employed when the disaster happened.
Applications for DUA must be filed by May 15, 2023 unless the applicant has good cause. (EDD News Releases 23-15, April 14, 2023.)