Disaster Unemployment Assistance available for storm victims

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — The Mississippi Department of Employment Security is now accepting applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance from those living or working in counties that received a federal disaster declaration because of damages from tornadoes and straight-line winds that occurred in April.

President Barack Obama this week declared an additional 18 Mississippi counties eligible for individual assistance, opening the door to affected workers to receive Disaster Unemployment Assistance. As of May 10, this declaration was amended to include Alcorn, Attala, Clay, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Holmes, Leflore, Marshall, Montgomery, Newton, Panola, Quitman, Smith, Sunflower, Tishomingo, Tunica and Winston counties.

Affected workers included in this declaration have until June 10 to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

On May 2, MDES announced Disaster Unemployment Assistance was available in Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clarke, Greene, Hinds, Jasper, Kemper, Lafayette, Monroe, Neshoba and Webster. Workers in these counties have until June 1 to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

Workers who do not qualify for the state’s regular Unemployment Insurance program may qualify for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. This includes workers who: are unemployed as a direct result of the disaster; are self-employed; cannot work or perform jobs because of disaster-related injuries; are unable to reach their workplaces or job sites because of the disaster; were to have started work, but are unable to get to or perform their jobs; and/or became the breadwinner or major support of a household because the head of household died as a result of the disaster.

Source: MDES