Apply Now for Disaster Unemployment Assistance 

Iowans who live or work in Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Mahaska, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Polk, Ringgold, Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright counties may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program.

The federal government declared these 32 counties as a major disaster area on August 14, 2010, as a result of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding beginning June 1.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) extends income compensation to self-employed civilians, farm workers, individuals who have worked for only a few weeks, and others who have lost earned income or whose income has been interrupted as a result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States. The benefits cover those usually not entitled to unemployment insurance.

"This is not regular unemployment compensation, but a program to help people who lost their jobs or cannot work because of the disaster," said Federal Coordinating Officer Tom Hall, the FEMA official in charge of the Iowa flooding disaster recovery.

DUA claims can be filed at any Iowa Workforce Development Center and need to be filed by Sept. 17, 2010. Individuals applying for DUA need to provide proof of past earnings, such as business records or bank statements and their most recent income tax form, at the time they file their claim.

Claims may be filed in person at any Iowa Workforce Development Center, including the following offices located in the affected county:

In addition to assistance filing a DUA claim, Iowa Workforce Development Centers offer reemployment services, including testing, counseling and placement. Job search and career information also is available through Iowa Workforce Development’s Web site at www.iowaworkforce.org.