Disaster Aid Now Available for Qualified Workers

AUSTIN – According to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) individuals who worked in Atascosa Liberty Refugio San Patricio Taylor and Upshur counties who lost work or earnings due to severe storms tornadoes and flooding between June 16 2007 and August 3 2007 have until Monday September 24 2007 to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) under Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-1709-DR.

Individuals who worked in the following counties may apply for DUA:

Atascosa Liberty Refugio San Patricio Taylor and Upshur counties
Deadline: September 24 2007

Guadalupe Henderson Nueces Van Zandt Walker Zavala counties
Deadline: September 10 2007

Bee and Medina counties
Deadline: August 31 2007

Brown Cherokee Comanche Hamilton Llano Runnels Smith Travis counties
Deadline: August 27 2007

To be eligible for help under Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-1709-DR you must:

• Have worked or been scheduled to work in the disaster area but because of the disaster no longer have a job or a place to work in the area or you could not get to your place of work because of disaster damage;
• Have been prevented from working by an injury or illness as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Have become the head of the household and need employment because the head of the household died as a result of the disaster.

To claim DUA affected individuals’ unemployment must be a direct result of one of the following:

• The physical damage or destruction of the place of employment;
• The physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal state or local government in immediate response to the disaster; or
• Lack of work or loss of revenues if prior to the disaster the employer or self-employed business received at least a majority of its revenue or income from an entity in the major disaster 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.

Often business owners who are self-employed are not aware of potential benefits to which they may be entitled. If you are self-employed but have lost all or part of your livelihood as a result of severe storms tornadoes and flooding you may well be eligible for benefits. You must provide federal income tax forms (Schedules SE and Schedule C or Schedule F) to receive disaster unemployment benefits.

To receive DUA benefits self-employed individuals and workers must provide documentation within 21 days from the day the claim was filed indicating an employment record at the time of the disaster or verification of the weeks the applicant was scheduled to work. TWC officials understand that because of property losses some individuals may not have necessary information readily available. Each claim is considered individually therefore if you believe you may be eligible for assistance please call the TWC Tele-Center network at one of the numbers listed below Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time to talk with a representative or file a claim.

Austin local: (512) 340-4300 Houston local: (281) 983-1100
Dallas local: (214) 252-1200 McAllen local: (956) 984-4700
El Paso local: (915) 832-6400 San Antonio local: (210) 258-6600
Fort Worth local: (817) 420-1600 Others call toll free: (800) 939-6631

When calling to apply for benefits you should have available when possible your:

• Social Security number and
• Name and address of your last employer or prospective employer.

Claims filed after each respective deadline will be considered untimely and benefits denied unless the individual provides good cause for filing after that date.

The first possible week of compensation for DUA purposes was the week ending June 23 2007 and last possible week of compensation is the week ending December 29 2007.

For local workforce services job seekers and employers should contact their local workforce centers in affected areas for revised office hours temporary closures or alternate service locations serving local or evacuated individuals. To locate the nearest workforce center call:

• Central Texas Workforce (Hamilton County) (254) 939-3771
• Rural Capital Area Workforce (Llano County) (512) 244-7966
• The Workforce Center of West Central Texas (Brown Comanche Runnels and Taylor counties) (325) 795-4200
• East Texas Workforce Development Board (Cherokee Henderson Smith Upshur and Van Zandt counties) (903) 984-8641           
• WorkSource – Greater Austin Area Workforce Board (Travis County)  (512) 597-7100
• WorkSource of the Coastal Bend (Bee Nueces Refugio and San Patricio counties) (361) 225-1098
• Alamo WorkSource (Atascosa Guadalupe and Medina counties) (210) 272-3260
• The WorkSource (Liberty and Walker counties) (713) 627-3200
• Middle Rio Grande Workforce Board (Zavala County) (830) 591-0141

Job seekers may visit Texas Workforce centers for access to job-search resources job postings and training programs as well as assistance with exploring career options rsum and application preparation career development and more. Customers also may connect with potential employers through TWC’s online job-search engine www.WorkInTexas.com.

Workforce center services for employers include job posting and placement services up-to-date information on the labor market and emerging occupations and assistance with recruiting retention training tax and hiring incentives. Employers can recruit new staff through www.WorkInTexas.com. Workforce centers also can offer employers the use of center office equipment and space when they are opening a new building in their respective areas.