Final day to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance

BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) — The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program aims to help those who lost their jobs permanently or temporarily due to Hurricane Ida, but time is running out for those still in need to apply.

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana just over two months ago, and since then, more than 45,000 people have applied for the program to make up for lost income.

The assistance program was approved for the following parishes:

Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

The initial deadline for the program was October 4, but that was extended to help those affected by the widespread power and internet outages. The Louisiana Workforce Commission says they have given out more than 1.5 million dollars so far to people recovering from the storm.

Applying for the program is similar to applying for other unemployment benefits, but those who typically would not qualify for standard unemployment may be eligible under this program. Benefits can last up to 27 weeks, and the weekly payouts range from $93 to $247.

The deadline to apply for those benefits is November 2 at 11:59 PM. You can apply at lawork.net or by calling 1-866-783-5567.

You can also speed up the application process by providing proof of your employment at the time of the disaster, your income tax return, or other evidence of employment or wages in 2020.

The LA Work website also has employment opportunities available for those who lost their job to the hurricane.

For more information, visit LAwork.net.