Gov. Chris Christie and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that New Jersey residents in all 21 counties have until Feb. 4, 2013, to apply for coverage under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program as a result of damages sustained because of Superstorm Sandy. Eligible persons include those who lost their job or self-employment, or are no longer working as a consequence of the storm and who may not be covered by the state’s unemployment insurance.
| Photo via TLS NJ Gov. Chris Christie says all residents within the state are eligible to apply for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance. |
"It is a rare and limited program," said Brian Murray, director of communications and marketing with the N.J.Department of Labor and Workforce Development. "This is an unemployment compensation program, and while it is limited in its scope, it is an assistance program. No unemployment compensation program, either federally or state operated, involves a loan," he added.
Most storm-impacted workers may already be eligible for customary unemployment insurance benefits, Murray stated. Anyone who plans to file a DUA claim should first file for unemployment insurance with LWD. Claims related to the storm must be filed by Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. Any claims filed after the deadline may not qualify for payment.
According to the LWD website, filing an unemployment claim is fastest online www.njuifile.net. Individuals are encouraged to file via the Internet between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. When asked about the reason for separation from an employer, select “Other.” Then type “Hurricane Sandy” into the comment box. Those who cannot apply online may call 856-507-2340 to file over the phone.
Anyone who is not eligible for regular or extended benefits may then apply for DUA by calling a Re-employment Call Center. TTY users may file an unemployment claim, or reopen an existing claim, by calling New Jersey Relay 711.
Individuals receiving DUA must search for work, unless otherwise noted. Work searches may be excused if there is extensive damage to the businesses in the disaster region, if the individual has a return-to-work date within 12 weeks, or if the individual is self-employed and working to reopen his or her business. Temporary and seasonal workers will receive DUA benefits only for the weeks they would have been employed if the disaster had not occurred.
DUA benefits are available only during the Disaster Unemployment Assistance Period. The date of each DUA claim will be backdated to the Sunday of the week the individual became unemployed because of the storm, on or after Friday, Oct. 26, 2012. Benefits will expire on Saturday, May 4, 2013.
DUA benefits are not the same as FEMA assistance, which provides funds for lost property or general relief, not lost wages. Assistance from FEMA must be applied for separately. For more information about FEMA, visit www.fema.gov. For more information regarding Unemployment Insurance, visit http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/ui/ui_index.html.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
I think this could be a really good plan put in place by Christie. The people in the most need from the hurricane destruction deserve some assistance to get back on their feet. And with the economy being the way that it is, jobs in NJ aren't exactly and thing of abundance at this point in time.
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