Community Center

Deadline Approaching To Apply For Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria who lost their jobs as a result of the storms have until Dec. 29 to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Friday. The DUA program provides unemployment benefits and re-employment services to individuals to assist them in their recovery. The program is designed to help survivors who are unemployed as a result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance. Individuals such as farmers, fishers, independent contractors and small-business owners, may qualify for disaster unemployment assistance. Survivors who are out of work for at least one week as a direct result of the hurricanes are eligible to apply. Benefits may be extended for up to 26 weeks – as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be disaster-related. The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Labor is assisting DUA applicants at the following locations: St. Croix: USVI Dep...