The filing period for Disaster Unemployment Assistance for people affected by the March 31 storms and tornadoes in Pulaski, Lonoke, and Cross counties will end on May 4, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services has announced.
Unemployment assistance under Disaster Declaration FEMA-4698-DR is available to those who:
— Worked, were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment.
— Can no longer work because of physical damage destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of a disaster, including physical inaccessibility of the place of employment because of its closure by the federal, state or local government in immediate response to the disaster.
— Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
— Do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state.
— Cannot work or resume self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.
— Became the major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household.
Anyone who files after May 4 will be considered "untimely" unless the individual can provide "good cause" for filing after the deadline, according to the the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services.
People who file will need their Social Security number and a copy of 2022 Federal income tax forms or check stubs, or documentation to support that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. Individuals must submit all required documentation within 21 days of filing the unemployment assistance application to receive benefits. The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services said it will work with claimants experiencing difficulty locating tax returns or pay stubs.
An initial unemployment insurance application is available online at ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov. Select “Laid off — Weather” as the reason for separation. After completing the application, individuals must file a Disaster Unemployment Assistance claim form by filing out the online application at https://bit.ly/DUAInitialApp or by downloading the application at https://bit.ly/DUApaperapp and emailing completed forms to ADWS.DUA@arkansas.gov.
Paper applications for initial unemployment insurance and disaster unemployment assistance are also available at Arkansas Workforce Centers in Little Rock, Benton, Jonesboro, Searcy, Conway, Forrest City and West Memphis.
More information is available at https://bit.ly/ArkansasDUA.