Extension of application period for disaster unemployment assistance

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Workforce Commission is extending the disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) application period to October 14, 2016 for individuals affected by the August 2016 flooding. 

Included in this uniform application period will be the parishes of Acadia, Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermillion, Washington and West Feliciana making DUA available to workers and self-employed individuals who lost work or earnings as a result of flooding that began August 11, 2016 and continues.

Applications for DUA will be accepted by the Louisiana Workforce Commission from workers and self-employed individuals in these parishes until the deadline of October 14, 2016. Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause.

Individuals affected in these designated-disaster areas must file DUA applications by established deadlines. 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.

Applicants must submit their Social Security number, check stubs and 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 from the date the DUA application is filed.

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

Due to high call volume at this time, applicants are encouraged to file their DUA applications online by visiting www.laworks.net through the LWC’s HiRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) portal. Applicants may also file by telephone by calling the Benefits Analysis Team at 1-866-783-5567. In an effort to better serve the public, our office hours to accept DUA claims have been extended to 6:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. CDT for the next several weeks. However, delays are expected when filing over the phone. To avoid these delays, applicants are encouraged to file online.