Irene Unemployment Aid Available

If you were out of work because of Tropical Storm Irene you may be eligible for a special form of aid to cover your lost wages.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today announced that because President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in Connecticut after the storm, federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to residents of all eight counties who couldn’t work during or after the storm, including those who are self-employed.

Those eligible may also include:

Individuals unable to reach their job because they must travel through storm-affected areas and are prevented from doing so by the disaster.

Individuals who were supposed to start work but couldn’t because of the storm.

Individuals who became the major supporter of a household because of the death of the head 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 Connecticut Department of Labor. Before an individual can be deemed eligible for DUA, labor department officials must determine if the individual is ineligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits under any state or federal laws.

Residents who lost their jobs due to this disaster should file a claim with their local TeleBenefits line, which can be found in the blue pages of telephone directories, by dialing the state Infoline at 211, or on the labor department’s website.

Under federal guidelines, the deadline for filing for DUA benefits is October 6, 2011. Claims filed after the deadline may be ineligible for payment.