Residents Affected By Sandy May Be Eligible Unemployment

WETHERSFIELD — President Obama declared a major disaster in Connecticut on October 30, which means residents of Newtown may be eligible for individual assistance. As a result, Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available for persons, including self-employed individuals, who are unemployed as a direct result of damages caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Individuals eligible for DUA benefits are those who work or live in one of the federally declared counties and lost their jobs directly due to the disaster. Those eligible may also include:

*Individuals unable to reach their job because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented by doing so by the disaster.

*Individuals who were to commence employment but were prevented by the disaster.

*Individuals who became the major support for a household because of the death of the head of the household as a result of the disaster.

*Individuals who cannot work because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster.

The DUA program is a part of the federal disaster assistance process, but is administered by the State of Connecticut Department of Labor. Before an individual can be determined eligible for DUA, it must be established by the Department of Labor that the individual is otherwise not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits under any state or federal law.

Residents who lost their jobs due to this disaster should file a claim with their local TeleBenefits line. To determine your local TeleBenefits number, check the blue pages of your telephone directory, visit the Labor Department’s web site at www.ct.gov/dol, or contact Infoline at 211.

Under federal guidelines, the deadline for filing for DUA benefits is December 3, 2012. Please note that DUA claims filed after the deadline may be ineligible for payment.