Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is now available for workers and self-employed persons impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires who do not qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance.

People are eligible for DUA if:

• Worked, or were a business owner or self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment, in the disaster area. This includes, and is not limited to, those in agricultural and fishing industries, or
• Cannot reach their workplace due to the disaster or can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment as a direct result of the disaster, or
• Cannot perform work or self-employment due to an injury as a direct result of the disaster, or
• Became the head of their household due to a death caused by the disaster, or
• The work or self-employment they can no longer perform must have been their primary source of income.

DUA benefits apply to losses beginning the week of January 12, 2025. Eligible full-time workers can receive between $186 and $450 per week, for up to 26 weeks. Part-time workers may also be eligible for benefits. Eligible individuals who were unemployed as of January 12 can request to have their claim start on that date, even if they apply after January 12. The last payable week of DUA ends July 12, 2025.

People can apply for DUA online through myEDD.  People can also get help at the Disaster Recovery Centers.  Impacted workers should check the box on the application that asks if their unemployment is a direct result of a recent disaster. EDD will check if the applicant is eligible for regular unemployment benefits before processing the claim for DUA benefits. Applicants may get a letter stating that they are regular unemployment while EDD processes their DUA claim.

DUA claims must be filed by March 10, 2025 unless the individual has good cause for late filing.  All required documentation must be submitted within 21 days of filing the application, including most recent federal tax return or pay stubs, or other documentation supporting that the applicant was working or self-employed when the disaster happened.  (EDD News Release 25-04, January 14, 2025.)

The online application for Unemployment Insurance is now available in Armenian, Korean, and Tagalog.  These languages are in addition to English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.  The application is available through the MyEDD online portal and UI Online.

Unemployment Insurance customers can now receive  updates about the status of their claim and payment notifications via email or text message in those eight languages.  (EDD News Release 24-12, March 28, 2024.)

 

 

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused by the disaster.
5. 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.)

Californians in multiple 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.

DUA applies to losses beginning the week of January 1, 2023.  Eligible full-time workers and self-employed persons can get between $166 and $450 per week for up to 28 weeks.  Part-time workers and part-time self-employed persons may be eligible.  The last payable week of DUA ends July 15, 2023.

DUA is available to storms victims who meet any of the following criteria:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused by the disaster.
5. 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.

Unless the applicant has good cause, applications for DUA must be filed by:

February 22, 2023 for residents of Sacramento, Merced, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and San Joaquin counties.

February 27, 2023 for residents of Calaveras County.

March 2, 2023 for residents of San Mateo County.

March 9, 2023 for residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, Mendocino, and Ventura counties.

(EDD News Releases 23-02, January 23, 2023; 23-03, January 26, 2023; 23-04, January 31, 2023, and 23-05, February 7, 2023.)

The Employment Development Department (EDD) has agreed to several measures to increase language access.  EDD will continue to provide no-cost language interpreter services in any language; expand existing in-language phone lines that currently include Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese to include Armenian, Korean and Tagalog; and translate unemployment insurance documents for claimants into 15 non-English languages.

EDD is also building a multilanguage web portal, establishing a Language Access Office, and convening a multilingual advisory board. (News Release 22-11, February 28, 2022.)