DETROIT – Some Metro Detroit residents are eligible to receive Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) following severe weather and major flooding in June.
Michigan officials announced Friday that residents of Washtenaw or Wayne counties are eligible to receive DUA if their employment or self-employment was “lost or interrupted” due to severe weather on June 25-26. Eligible individuals must file an application for DUA by August 23, 2021, officials said.
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The financial assistance was made available after President Joe Biden declared a disaster in the state of Michigan following damaging storms, subsequent flooding and tornadoes.
In order to be eligible, the state says that individuals must:
- Apply for regular unemployment insurance benefits;
- Not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state;
- Be an unemployed or self-unemployed worker whose unemployment was caused as a direct result of the major disaster declared by the President;
- Be a U.S. national or a qualified alien;
- Have worked or was self-employed in, or was scheduled to begin work or self-employment in, one of the counties listed above; and
- Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
As listed by the state, other individuals who can apply for DUA are those who:
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of this disaster;
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused as a direct result of this disaster;
- Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household as a direct result of this disaster; or
- Cannot work or perform self-employment due to closure of a facility by the federal government as a direct result of this disaster.
To apply for DUA, eligible individuals must file a claim by downloading a paper application on the state’s website right here.
Qualifying residents will need to provide their social security number, name and address of last employer or prospective employer, proof of employment or self-employment at the time of the disaster and likely a copy of the applicant’s most recent federal income tax forms or check stubs.
Officials say individuals can “generally receive up to 26 weeks of DUA benefits as long as his/her unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster.”
On June 26, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a state of emergency declaration for Wayne County as heavy rains hammered the region. About 5-7 inches of rain fell across Metro Detroit that weekend, causing widespread power outages and subsequent pump station failures, which helped contribute to significant flooding along roadways and in and around homes.
On July 8, Washtenaw County was included in Whitmer’s emergency declaration following local damage assessments, officials said. Like Wayne County, Washtenaw has also experienced significant damage due to the flooding.
Washtenaw County issued its own state of emergency declaration on July 2 following the severe weather. The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners said public infrastructure, like streets and sidewalks, had been damaged as the result of overwhelmed sewer and stormwater systems.
More: ‘It’s a city problem’: Detroiters say massive flooding could have been prevented