Katrina Unemployment Benefits and Disaster Unemployment
Assistance
Please be aware that most of the information
below is now obsolete, because much time has passed since
Hurricane Katrina struck. The last significant update to
this page was on 3/6/06.
Contents
Beware of Katrina Unemployment
Scams! Filing for unemployment benefits and
Disaster Unemployment Assistance is always free through
state unemployment offices and Career One Stop Centers.
But con artists have been charging Katrina-unemployed
victims to file claims. Don't fall for it! Instead, file
for free through one of the state unemployment offices
or Career One Stop Centers listed below. Contact the state
Attorney General to report unemployment scams.
Katrina Unemployment
Offices
If you're an unemployed victim of Hurricane Katrina, your
state's department of labor (unemployment office) is where
you'd file a claim for unemployment
benefits or Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Unemployment Assistance.
You may file online, by phone or in person, depending on
the facilities currently available. For claim information,
click a state link or call a phone number listed below. Be
sure to call a local branch unemployment office before visiting,
as it's possible that some will be closed for awhile after
Katrina hit.
See also Katrina
Career One Stop Centers and Louisiana
and Mississippi hotline phone numbers listed below.
Katrina-Displaced Workers: Other
state unemployment offices are voluntarily helping Katrina-unemployed
victims file claims for standard unemployment benefits
or Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance. If you've
evacuated to a state that's not listed above and you need
unemployment help locally, contact the state
unemployment office to ask if it will help you.
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Katrina Career
One Stop Centers
Career One Stop Centers are distributed throughout each
state as local branch offices of state unemployment offices.
States might call them by names other than Career One Stop
Centers (as noted in the links below). Regardless, they're
all part of the National
Career One Stop System. Among the services they offer,
some take claims for unemployment benefits or Disaster Unemployment
Assistance, while some do not.
Below is a list of links to help you locate the nearest
Katrina-relevant Career One Stop Center that is taking claims
for standard unemployment benefits or Katrina Disaster Unemployment
Assistance. Click a state link below or call the central
locator number at 877-US-2JOBS (877-872-5627). For TTY, dial
877-889-5627.
To first discover which centers are closed from Hurricane
Katrina damage, see the list maintained
by America's Service Locator or call 877-US-2JOBS (877-872-5627).
For TTY, dial 877-889-5627.
See also the Louisiana and
Mississippi hotline phone numbers listed below.
Katrina-Displaced Workers: Other
state Career One Stop Centers are voluntarily helping Katrina-unemployed
victims file claims for standard unemployment benefits
or Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance. If you've
evacuated to a state that's not listed above and you need
unemployment help locally, contact the nearest center to
ask if it will help you. You may locate a center through America's
Service Locator or by calling 877-US-2JOBS (877-872-5627).
For TTY, dial 877-889-5627.
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Special Information for
Louisiana and Mississippi Katrina Unemployment
Louisiana
Since the end of September and the beginning of October,
Louisiana Works has expanded the number of parishes that
are eligible to file for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
Parishes now eligible are Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Beauregard,
Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche,
Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion,
Vernon and West Baton Rouge. The deadline to file is still
November 30, 2005. See the press
releases for updates.
At this writing, several Career One Stop Centers (commonly
called Job Centers) in the New Orleans area remain closed
because of Hurricane Katrina damage. Check for updates on
closed centers in the Louisiana Works press
releases or the list maintained
by America's Service Locator. Alternately, call 877-US-2JOBS
(877-872-5627). For TTY, dial 877-889-5627.
All who need to apply for Louisiana unemployment benefits
or Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), may do
so by calling the toll-free hotlines at 866-783-5567, 800-430-8076
or 888-524-3578, or by visiting any open Louisiana
Job Center that accepts claims among its services.
Hurricane Katrina victims who've evacuated from Louisiana
to Texas, may file for Louisiana unemployment benefits or
Katrina DUA through the nearest Career One Stop Center (Workforce
Center) in
Texas that accepts claims among its services. Alternately,
they may call the hotline at 800-818-7811.
Hurricane Katrina victims who've evacuated from Louisiana
to Alabama, may file for Louisiana unemployment benefits
or Katrina DUA through the nearest Career One Stop Center
(Career Center) in
Alabama that has facilities for such, or by calling 866-234-5382
(1-800-499-2035 TTY) toll-free.
Meanwhile, Louisiana unemployment office workers are attempting
to reach Hurricane Katrina victims who are still in shelters,
to help them file claims for unemployment benefits or Katrina
DUA.
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Mississippi
At this writing, several Career One Stop Centers (commonly
called WIN Job Centers) in Mississippi are closed because
of Hurricane Katrina damage. Check for updates on closed
centers in the Mississippi Department of Employment Services press
releases or the list maintained
by America's Service Locator. Alternately, call 877-US-2JOBS
(877-872-5627). For TTY, dial 877-889-5627.
All who need to apply for Mississippi unemployment benefits
or Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance, may do so by
calling the toll-free hotline at 888-844-3577 toll-free or
by visiting any open Mississippi
WIN Job Center that accepts claims among its services.
Hurricane Katrina victims who've evacuated from Mississippi
to Alabama may file claims for either Katrina DUA or standard
unemployment benefits, by calling 1-866-234-5382 (1-800-499-2035
TTY) toll-free or by contacting the nearest Alabama
Career Center (Career One Stop Center) that accepts claims
among its services.
Alabama and Texas Employers! If
you'd like to offer jobs to Katrina-displaced Louisiana
and Mississippi workers, call the following toll-free hotlines
or post them at Katrina
Recovery Job Connection.
- Alabama: 866-767-8103
- Texas: 800-695-6879
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About Katrina Disaster Unemployment
Assistance
The Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program provides
unemployment benefits to eligible individuals who become
unemployed or can't work because of injury, as a direct result
of major disasters declared by the President of the United
States.
Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, President Bush declared
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi as disaster
areas. Consequently, Hurricane Katrina Disaster Unemployment
Assistance is now available in those states.
Individuals who have become the breadwinners or major support
contributors in their households, because the heads of the
households died as a direct result of Hurricane Katrina,
might also be eligible for Hurricane Katrina Disaster Unemployment
Assistance.
Self-employed individuals who are now out of business or
otherwise lost self-employment income because of Hurricane
Katrina, are not likely to be eligible for standard unemployment
benefits based solely on self-employment. (Self-employed
individuals might be eligible standard unemployment benefits,
if they also worked on the side as employees prior to Hurricane
Katrina.) However, self-employed victims might be eligible
for Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance, as it's for
both employees and self-employed individuals who lost their
work income because of Hurricane Katrina.
Because Disaster Unemployment Assistance is separate from
standard, state unemployment benefits programs, eligibility
requirements differ. Among other requirements, you must have
exhausted or otherwise be ineligible for standard unemployment
benefits to receive Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
To fully determine your eligibility for either standard
unemployment benefits or Katrina Disaster Unemployment Assistance,
you'll likely have to file an official unemployment claim
verses just asking. Your state's unemployment office (or
Career One Stop Center) might not clearly distinguish between
filing for standard unemployment benefits or Katrina Disaster
Unemployment Assistance. If so, your state's unemployment
office will determine which you might receive, based on the
information you provided when filing your unemployment claim.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance is administered by state
unemployment offices as agents of the Federal government.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issues the
funds in partnership with the U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL), the "main" unemployment
office, so to speak. But FEMA offers more to
disaster victims than just Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
For more information, see Disaster
Unemployment Assistance Available to Hurricane Katrina
Victims or call 877-872-5627.
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Katrina Legal Advice
Volunteer attorneys are providing free, disaster-related
legal assistance to low-income, Mississippi residents affected
by Hurricane Katrina, through the Mississippi Disaster Legal
Service hotline at 866-255-4495. (See also Mississippi's
Legal Services Resource Center.) Persons in the counties
declared as disaster areas may ask for help with disaster-related
legal questions, including those about unemployment claims,
insurance claims, home repair contracts, consumer protection
matters, landlord-tenant concerns, mortgage foreclosure and
debt collection problems.
It's likely that volunteer attorneys in Alabama, Florida
and Louisiana are doing the same. You might find such an
attorney through a free attorney
referral service or through one of the legal aid organizations
linked below.
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