9/5/2023

ICYMI: FloridaCommerce Announces Disaster Unemployment Assistance is Available for Floridians Impacted by Hurricane Idalia

Tallahassee, FL - Today, FloridaCommerce announced that Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to Florida businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of Hurricane Idalia and are not eligible for regular state or Federal Reemployment Assistance benefits. Eligible Floridians whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of Hurricane Idalia are encouraged to submit a claim at www.FloridaJobs.org.

Additionally, work search reporting, waiting week, and Employ Florida registration requirements for Reemployment Assistance claims have been temporarily waived for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Idalia in FEMA disaster-declared counties. By waiving these requirements, eligible Floridians will be able to quickly apply and receive reemployment assistance and disaster unemployment assistance benefits.

FloridaCommerce is accepting applications for DUA from residents and businesses in Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Pasco, Pinellas, Suwannee, and Taylor counties, the FEMA-designated disaster impacted area as of September 4, 2023.

DUA is available to those who are ineligible to receive federal or state Reemployment Assistance benefits and the individual meets one of the following requirements:

• Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment;
• Are not able to work or perform services because of physical damage or 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 supporter of a household because of the death of the head of household.

DUA is available for weeks of unemployment beginning September 3, 2023 until March 2, 2024, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster in a designated-disaster areas. 

The deadline to submit a claim for DUA benefits is no later than 11:59 p.m. on October 3, 2023 for businesses and residents in Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Pasco, Suwannee, and Taylor counties. For businesses and residents in Pinellas County the deadline to submit a claim for DUA benefits is no later than 11:59 p.m. on October 5, 2023.  

Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause. 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.

To file a DUA claim, visit www.FloridaJobs.org or call 1-800-385-3920. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, to assist claimants. For DUA claims information, call 1-833-FL-APPLY (1-833-352-7759) to speak to a customer service representative.

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