DISASTER FEMA DR-4562-OR – FILING DEADLINE EXTENSION

The Oregon Employment Department has received authorization to extend the deadline for filing Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) applications. The new deadline to file DUA applications is Friday, November 27, 2020. Individuals may qualify for DUA if they became unemployed, had their work hours substantially reduced, or are unemployed self-employed individuals as a direct result of the wildfires and straight-line winds that took place since September 7, 2020. They also must not qualify for regular state Unemployment Insurance (UI), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), or other benefit programs.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is a federal program that provides temporary unemployment assistance benefits to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost, reduced, or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster. The Oregon Employment Department administers the DUA program for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals eligible for regular unemployment benefits or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) are not eligible for DUA.

DUA is available to eligible individuals for weeks of unemployment beginning September 13, 2020. Benefits under this program will be available until March 20, 2021, as long as their unemployment continues to be a direct result of the major disaster. The new deadline for filing a DUA claim related to these fires is November 27, 2020. 

In addition to people who lost their jobs as a direct result of the major disaster, DUA may include individuals who:

• Were self-employed and prevented from performing such services as a result of the disaster and the work or self-employment was their primary source of income.
• Were unable to reach their job because of the disaster.
• Were scheduled to and prevented from beginning work or self-employment in the disaster area,
• Were unable to work due to injury as a direct result of the disaster, or
• Became head of household due a death caused by the disaster.
• Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits from any state, do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits or extension programs, and remain unemployed as a direct result of the disaster.

Unemployment is a direct result of the major disaster if the unemployment resulted from any of the following:

• Physical damage or destruction of the place of employment.
• Physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state, or local government in immediate response to the disaster.
• Lack of work or loss of revenues if, prior to the disaster, the employer or self-employed business received a majority of its income from a business in the area that was damaged or destroyed in the disaster or an entity in the major disaster area closed by the federal, state, or local government.

To receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be turned in at the time of filing, or within 21 days from the day a DUA application is filed. Applicants will need to provide supporting documentation, including but not limited to, proof of employment or self-employment at the time of the disaster and income information for the 2019 tax year. Additional required documentation includes the applicant’s Social Security number and a copy of their most recent federal income tax form or check stubs, or documentation to support that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. Self-employed individuals can get documents to verify their employment from their bank, government entities such as the Internal Revenue Service, or individuals having knowledge of their business.

Affected individuals are encouraged to apply for DUA through the Oregon Employment Department (OED), which will first check if applicants can qualify for state unemployment benefits, PEUC, other extension programs, or PUA benefits.

Applications for DUA are available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Simplified Chinese online at www.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/Disaster. You may submit your application to the address below or online at unemployment.oregon.gov/contact-us. Include the weeks you would like to claim in your initial application. More information is available on our website and social media pages. For additional questions or to request an initial application, call: 503-570-5000

Contact Information:

Address:        Disaster Unemployment Assistance Unit

875 Union Street NE

Salem, OR 97311

Telephone:   

503-570-5000

Additional Information:

www.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/Disaster

Submit your Application Online:            unemployment.oregon.gov/contact-us