Department of Workforce Development

For more information contact:
John Whalen, 608/266-1871

Madison, Wis. -- Workers in southeastern Wisconsin who lost jobs or wages due to flooding in early August have until Sept. 14 to apply for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA).

Claims must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. that day, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

DUA is a federal program that provides financial assistance to workers, including self-employed farm and non-farm workers, who lose employment or wages as a result of a major disaster.

The weekly benefits which can be paid when claims are approved range from $91 to $290, and may be paid for up to 27 weeks, depending on the impact of the flooding on work schedules. Those with only partial unemployment would receive less.

Those eligible are people who as a direct result of the Aug. 5 - 7 heavy rains and severe storms in Milwaukee, Rock, Sheboygan and Waukesha counties:

• were unable to reach their regular place of employment
• were to begin employment but could not go to work
• lost work because of an injury
• became the major support of a household because the head of the household died.

Applications can be filed from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday until Sept. 14 by calling the state Unem-ployment Insurance Division toll free at 1-800-822-5246 (or 438-7700 in the Milwaukee metropolitan area). A special (TTY) toll-free number for use by the hearing- and speech-impaired is 1-888-393-8914.

These special benefits are based on a person’s earnings during a "base period" that coincides with their most recent tax year. As a result, people will be asked when they file their claims for earnings data from their 1997 federal tax returns. They should have the returns readily available when they call in their claim. All claims will be taken by telephone only.