The deadline to apply for disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) for individuals impacted by severe storms and flooding is Friday, October 14, at 11:59 p.m. CDT. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission and an article by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, thus far a total of 5,040 people living in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes have applied for disaster unemployment assistance because of work opportunities lost or interrupted by last month’s severe flooding. The two parishes have the highest number of claims, far exceeding those filed in the other 20 parishes that were declared federal disaster areas.

Individuals whose work was lost or interrupted as a result of the recent flooding can apply in the following parishes: Acadia, Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, St. Helena, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana and Vermilion.

DUA is available to those who:

• Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment;
• Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage of destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster;
• Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their principal source of income;
• Do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits from any state;
• Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster or
• Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of household.

Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause for filing after that date. Applicants must submit their Social Security number, check stubs and other documentation to support the claim that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. In some cases, additional documentation may be required. To receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be submitted within 21 days of the application.

DUA is available from weeks of unemployment beginning August 14, 2016 and ending February 18, 2017, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster.

To file for DUA, applicants should apply online at www.laworks.net or by calling 1-866-783-5567 Monday through Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CDT. Individuals can also receive personal assistance at their local Business and Career Solutions Center.